


Duo's Demons

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, non graphic lemon, ssssssap, yuckables
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22607686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: An ancient Demon Lord is intrigued by a child that one of his favored few finds after his family had been annihilated by others of their kind. The Demon decides to keep the child as his presence brings some relief from the overwhelming boredom of his infinite reign. However, things change after a time in which the amusing child grows into a devastatingly beautiful young man.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4, attempted 2xOC, background 1x5
Kudos: 14





	Duo's Demons

AU/Action/Adventure  
Eventual 1x2, 3x4, background 1x5, attempted 2xOC but Duo isn’t having much luck getting laid *snicker* go figure  
Angst, fluff, non-graphic lemon, ssssssap, yuckables ^-^

Summary: An ancient Demon Lord is intrigued by a child that one of his favored few finds after his family had been annihilated by others of their kind. The Demon decides to keep the child as his presence brings some relief from the overwhelming boredom of his infinite reign. However, things change after a time in which the amusing child grows into a devastatingly beautiful young man. 

It was as it had always been. 

As it eternally would be. 

The mountains. 

The plains. 

The ever present sky. 

How long? 

How long had it been? 

How long would it remain? 

A small wisp of wind dared to invade his field of vision stirring up the dusty ground until the little, transparent dust devil responsible suddenly choked and fell lifeless to the hard earth under the Masters deadly gaze. Its life and death might have once at least amused the Great Lord but now…after all this time… 

He could remember a time when his blood moved quickly through his veins, when all manor of life cowered in fear and souls were devoured in a feeding frenzy that lasted decades in the human world, but even the thought of dominating the incipient fools of that world no longer held any meaning for him. The middle ages were a lot of fun, but one can only stand so much before it all just becomes boring. 

And so he was. 

Long since had the others of his kind abandoned him leaving him to his silence. Those who did venture near usually lost their lives like the daring, little dust devil that lay limp and translucent before his Master’s steady gaze. However, there were a favored few. Their infrequent visits served to ease the loathsome pain in his heart. Still, how long had it been since even one of these honored ones had come? A hundred years? Five? A thousand? For a moment the odd feeling of curiosity brushed across his mind. He hadn’t felt it in so very long it almost seemed like a foreign emotion. Why had they not come? Had they completely forsaken him or were they simply waiting? Perhaps they were preoccupied? 

Hn.

For the first time in eons he felt the desire to move. 

His body refused to obey his command at first as if the connection between mind and limb had been long forgotten, then...in the far off distance his sharp, piercing eyes watched a huge flock of crows pepper the skyline as they rose from their perch in an old elm tree as their ethereal awareness warned them of the Great Lords eminent return while the years of caked on, crusty terra that had come to rest on the Master’s long lashes stirred and took flight when his huge lids came crashing down. The very mass of the mountain on which his massive throne had been carved shuddered and groaned in protest while long neglected muscles contracted dislodging the encrusted body of the Great Lord. Large boulders loosened from around his shoulders where time, age and the very mountain itself had thought to encase him came crashing down to break against the ground. Each huge, crimson hand flexed sending smaller stones popping out of their tightly wedged homes to glance off the groaning cliff while the Master lifted his huge body, enormous, black horns protruded from the sides of his head, a vermilion brow over piercing blue eyes as dark as the twilight sky, black lips that parted allowing his seeping, acidic breath to softly escape while he growled deep in his chest. The vibrations reminded him of times long past when he used the sounds to communicate with others while he spread his massive, red leather wings, lifted his throat to the dark grey sky and gave a horrendous roar that sufficiently drowned out the sickening sound when the Earth screamed.

** 

‘No!’ 

‘Come on! Give it!’

‘Back off! It’s mine!’

He knew the voices. Apparently his favored few had not abandoned him as they were the first he’d come upon in his wanderings. They had kept themselves reasonably close by. This was some small comfort, but at the moment he was more concerned with what it was they were fighting over. Whatever it was, it sure was noisy. 

‘Lets see what it tastes like!’

‘NO! GIVE IT BACK!’

ssssssssssssssss

‘AH! Damn it!’

‘I’m gonna toast your whole damn head if you don’t give it back! You’re making it cry!’

‘It’s been doing that since you found it! Let’s just eat it!’

_**‘Show me.’** _

‘My Lord!’

‘Master!’

Both the auburn hared imp and the sky-bright, sun sprite stood in absolute stunned silence when he Great Lord moved purposefully closer to them to get a look at whatever it was that was making the awful racket. It lay on a stone cradled in the small dip in its crest wriggling like mad and wailing loudly. It’s pug little feet and hands flailed about kicking the dank dirt and blood stained clothe that was carelessly wrapped around it off its little pink body while its tears plastered the long chestnut bangs that hung in its chubby, little face to its temples. It looked familiar somehow...he’d seen something like this in the past at some point but it was so long ago. 

_**‘What is it?’** _

‘It’s a child!’ the sun sprite gushed excitedly. ‘It’s mine...’

‘Just because _you_ found it!’ the imp growled snatching the screaming thing up by one leg. 

‘PUT IT BACK!’ the sprite bellowed sending another sizzling ray of light at the imp that crackled and smoked while it burned off a small portion of his long bangs. 

‘We should offer it to our Lord!’ the imp giggled madly dodging another bright ray of light by vanishing and reappearing a few feet away before sticking his tongue out gleefully. 

‘It’s mine to give!’ 

‘Selfish pixie!’

‘Arrogant elf!’

_**‘Where did it come from?’** _

‘I found it!’ the sprite enthused proudly managing to retrieve the wailing child from the grinning imp. ‘It was abandoned in a glen…’

‘Liar!’

‘It was!’

‘The umbra killed its clan,’ the imp revealed looking very haughty and smug as if he’d revealed a forbidden secret. 

‘So! I still found it!’

‘Would you like a taste, My Lord?’ the imp grinned making the sun sprite pale even further than his usual luminescence. 

_**‘Give it to me.’** _

The little sprite looked severely put out, but obeyed without question laying the naked, wailing child in his Masters huge, crimson palm while the imp giggled and made faces at him in the background. Slowly the huge Demon Lord raised the infant up bringing the struggling, little form within inches of his gigantic face. A soft tremor of a growl rumbled in his throat while he slowly breathed in the child’s scent much like that of a lion surveying its kill. The imp settled while anticipation shimmered in his clear, emerald eyes as the sprits crystal, aquamarine turned to the ground unwilling to watch. Slowly and with great control the Demon Lords ebony lips parted, his black tongue slipping from between jagged teeth as long as a mans hand to brush tentatively along the child’s stomach. 

‘Does it taste good?’ the imp gleamed manically then, ‘Ah!’ he barked when a sharp ray of light pierced his left temple sending him crashing to the ground and writhing in pain while the spite chuckled in smug satisfaction. 

_**‘Yes’**_ was the Demon Lords only response before he suddenly jerked and jumped back wiping his nose and staring incredulously at the little infant in his palm. The others looked on in mild shock and horror.

‘What happened?!’

‘What’s wrong!?’

A low peal of laugher so dark and insidious it sent the sun sprite scurrying to hide behind the imp suddenly rose on the air as the darkest part of the Dark Lords shadow took on a life and substance of its own rising from the ground to solidify into a gold and ebony shape beside him. 

‘It pissed in his face,’ the umbra laughed. 

A moment later his solidity was severely displaced when the Great Lord flicked him like a fly and sent his substance scattering around the clearing. This did nothing to dampen his merriment however, and he continued to laugh as boldly as you please until he had reformed himself. 

‘Just for that you can’t have any,’ the imp sneered standing protectively between the umbra and the sprite. 

‘I’ve had my fill,’ the dark creature smirked. 

‘You killed his clan?’ the sprite asked stepping bravely from behind his living shield. 

‘Of course,’ he grinned just before his head splattered into a hundred little black blobs when the Master once again flicked him with his finger. ‘Alright! Geez, that stings you know?!’ he groused pulling himself back together and glaring up at the smirking Demon. ‘It wasn’t _actually_ me, but I know...’ Splurt! ‘Ag!” *sigh* Okay, I didn’t have anything to do with it... happy now?!’ he growled once again pulling his shadowy form back together. The Masters response was a smile and to run his long, black first finger claw up the umbra’s spine leaving him shuddering where he stood. ‘Welcome back, My Lord,’ the umbra smiled dreamily. 

_**‘It’s very noisey,’**_ the Lord mused cocking one ebony brow at the little, crying baby. 

‘Perhaps your true form frightens it,’ the sprite mused. 

The Demon looked down at himself taking in his crimson and black body, the perfectly sculpted muscles, long, sharp black claws and even the slight peripheral view he could see of his massive onyx horns and after a moments contemplation in which he looked at the squirming child in his palm, his shape began to shift. In the blink of an eye the impressive figure of the Demon Lord had been replaced by a much less imposing form that stood there for a long moment holding the wailing child until it suddenly, and quite mercifully, ceased. He held the child in one arm since it would no longer fit in his palm, its warm chestnut head cradled in his hand, the thick tendrils of its hair soft against his fingers while the child blinked watery, violet eyes and started up at him. It was cute when it wasn’t balling and for whatever the reason he liked its scent so he brought it once again to his lips, lips that were now a warm taupe set in a bronzed face and tasted him one more time running a pink tongue up his salty cheek effectively washing away its tears and when it giggled he froze. That one small sound had sent a rush of feeling through him he’d never felt before. He had no idea what in all of Hell it was, but it was different! It was new and he desperately wanted to feel it again so he tried again and the small child in his hand giggled obligingly latching onto the long bangs that now curtained his dark blue eyes. Once again the rush flooded his veins bringing a small smile to his lips. 

‘My Lord?’ the sprite inquired softly, cautiously. 

‘What is your intention?’ the Demon asked without taking his eyes from the little violet lights of the child’s. 

‘I...was going to keep it,’ the sprite replied sounding a tad bit shaken. 

‘We could make it into a stew,’ the imp suggested happily sitting on an invisible chair in the air behind his luminous friend while he dangled his long legs beneath him. 

‘You can’t eat it!’ the sprite snapped. 

‘Wouldn’t be much fun to torture it at this age,’ the umbra sighed. 

‘You may not,’ the Master said still smiling at the little baby in his arms. The others all looked at each other quizzically and waited for any further instruction or comment from their Lord, but it didn’t come for a very long time. Not until the little child became restless and began to cry softly again. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ the Lord asked shocking his fellows by acknowledging the child as a true being and calling it him. 

‘He’s probably hungry,’ the sprite suggested. 

‘Food?’ the Demon mused. Yes...humans needed such things. ‘What would he eat?’ he asked. 

‘At this age,’ the sprite smiled coming closer. ‘I believe they are still feeding on their mother’s milk.’

‘But his mother is dead,’ the umbra reminded them with an eerie grin. 

‘Shall I get the pot?’ the imp tossed in helpfully. 

‘Find him another mother,’ the Demon Lord commanded settling himself down in a niche between a boulder and a stone. ‘And bring me the cloth,’ he added eyeing the little babies crotch warily. 

‘Will you take him as your own then?’ the umbra asked while the imp and sprite scurried off to do their Master’s bidding. 

‘He…amuses me,’ the Demon Lord replied still smiling at the child who had stopped crying in favor of chewing on his shirt tail. 

‘He is human,’ the umbra reminded him kneeling down in a formal position of expectancy beside him. 

‘And I am a god,’ the Demon countered without the slightest hint of malevolence in his tone, yet the umbra was visibly shaken by his words. 

They said nothing more for a very long time, until the child had dozed off and the umbra’s legs had gone numb from sitting on them. ‘You object,’ the Demon finally said cradling the baby in the crick of his arm and gently rocking him while they spoke. 

‘I’m jealous,’ the shadowy creature stated. 

This seemed to amuse the Lord enough that he raised his eyes from the babies sleeping form to grace his companion with that little smile, but it shifted and changed somehow and by the time he was looking the umbra in his black, diamond eyes it carried with it a deeper, darker intent. ‘Of me…’ he asked reaching out to slip one hand behind his ebony head and pull him closer, ‘Or the child?’ he grinned kissing him slowly. 

**

‘Duo...ah…wait.’

‘It’s okay...it’ll be alright.’

‘I...I can’t.’

‘Lindsey,’ he growled moving as far on top of his date as the cramped backseat would allow. 

‘Stop!’

‘Damn it!’ he swore in frustration while he jerked back leaving the girl flustered, ruffled and frightened. 

‘I’m sorry,’ she said so softly he almost missed it as she straightened her shirt and sat up. 

‘You’re the one who wanted to come up here!’ he growled as the anxiety in his teenage body still burned brightly under his determined control. 

‘I know,’ she replied in a tiny, little tone that spoke of deepest regret. When she’d suggested this spot for their customary make out session after their Saturday night date Duo understood that she was finally ready to take the next step in their relationship, but, ‘I’m sorry,’ she apologized again. ‘Something just feels...’

‘Wrong,’ Duo sighed in resignation. ‘Look Lindsey. This just isn’t working out.’

‘NO!’ she barked suddenly horrified. 

‘What then?!’ he snapped a little more forcefully than he meant to instantly subduing the discombobulated girl. ‘Sorry,’ he said feeling guilty for frightening her. Why in the hell was she so scared anyway? They’d been going out for over a month, they got along. Hell, he’d even introduced her to his friends! 

‘Duo,’ she finally said breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended between them. ‘I want you,’ she told him sniffling softly. ‘Really, I do...it’s just…’

‘What?’ he prompted in a much kinder, but just as tired tone. 

‘Whenever we get...close,’ she whispered looking down at her hands as if she thought someone might hear, ‘I get scared.’

‘There’s nothing to be scared of,’ Duo assured her as his manor flip flopped back to one of encouragement while he turned to face her again. ‘I’d never do anything to hurt you,’ he promised taking her trembling hand in his. ‘You know that,’ he assured her leaning in to kiss her softly. She responded in kind as she always did hungrily lapping up the affection and they soon found themselves back at the brink. 

‘Duo.’ 

‘It’s okay.’

‘Ah...n...no.’

‘Lindsey, please…don’t do this,’ he pleaded knowing he couldn’t take much more of her hot and cold attitude. 

The words seemed to bolster her nerve and for the first time they stepped passed the point of no return when he slowly started to push her jeans down. She gasped, bucked, then began to scream hysterically while she clawed her way out from under him, stumbling and tripping over her feet as she exited the car and took off running at break neck speed down the little, dark, dirt road that lead back to civilization. Duo sat for a long moment blinking after her fleeing figure before a sinking feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. 

‘Wufei. **Damn it**!,’ he swore, but his words caught in his throat when he spun around in time to see the shadow on the ceiling of the car slowly drip down toward him and black onyx eyes shimmered in the pitch ooze. He scampered back away from the terrifying shadow when a little slit opened up in it grinning while it shined pointed, bright white teeth that he knew very well could rend his flesh from his bones while the familiar visage of his umbra guardian took shape before him. 

‘Hello, Duo,’ the creature smiled slinking down into the seat beside him, his body solidifying into one that was virtually indistinguishable from any other human save for those pointed teeth and the absolute lack of humanity in his black eyes. 

‘What the fuck did you do to Lindsey?’ Duo snarled regaining his composure somewhat. The shadow demon had always given him the willies no matter how hard he tried to adapt. 

‘I only wanted to watch,’ the umbra purred moving just a little closer, which in turn made Duo scoot further away. 

‘You let her see you didn’t you?’ he growled while Wufei grinned and moved in some more. ‘You’ve been messing with her all along haven’t you?’ he asked shrinking away when Wufei darted in and licked his nose. ‘Damn it, Fei,’ he sighed. ‘I really liked her.’ 

‘She’s not the one for you,’ the umbra purred moving silkily so that he was positioned to easily push him down into the position he’d had Lindsey in a few moments before. ‘I can satisfy your needs,’ he told him capturing his violet eyes with his gaze and Duo couldn’t look away, his heart was hammering so hard he could feel it in his toes, but he still had control of his thoughts and his tongue. 

‘Hiiro’s gonna take you apart and keep you in jars if you keep this up,’ he warned. 

‘That rule only applies if you are…unwilling,’ the umbra grinned pressing in until his mouth covered Duo’s in one smooth, liquid motion that made him moan in ecstasy even though his mind was screaming to get away. 

He’d done this before, taken advantage of his frustration to coerce him into a favorable position. It seemed to be his main objective as of late to see to Duo’s virginity himself, but while he was under Hiiro’s protection there wasn’t a lot he could do. The only loophole was that if it was consensual, the Dark Lord might not rend him into pieces so tiny it would take him ten years to gather them back up again. Hence, the need to attack while the iron was hot. As in when Duo was so worked up and frustrated from a month of near misses with this new girlfriend he couldn’t possibly resist the subtle charms of a determined shadow demon. This, of course, only worked if Hiiro didn’t catch on. A possibility that was suddenly realized when the sound of groaning metal and cracking glass pulled them out of their rapturous entanglement. 

Wufei quit kissing him and laid his body protectively over top of him while the glass and rivets popped loose slicing into his solid body when the roof of the car was slowly peeled back like the pop top of a soda can. He didn’t mind the cuts and wounds though, because he knew if he let so much as a chestnut hair on the boy beneath him be harmed he’d be in much, much worse condition than a few cuts that would heal the moment he gave up his humanoid shape. 

‘Uh…My Lord,’ Wufei grinned rolling off of Duo when the sounds and motion stopped to stare into the deadly glaring eyes of his Demon Master. 

‘Get the fuck off me!’ Duo snarled kicking at the umbra, but his foot just went right though him when he slipped into his nonessential state and floated out of the car rematerializing a few feet away with an evil little smirk on his face. With a flick of Hiiro’s wrist his clothes suddenly disappeared leaving him naked as a jay bird and effectively wiping the smirk away. Duo however, roared with laugher and Hiiro smiled. 

‘What’s so funny?’ Trowa asked popping into existence beside Duo and startling him half out of his skin. 

‘Don’t _do_ that!’ Duo growled jumping back, but he was no longer paying attention to him as he too erupted in a fit of giggles at the sight of the blushing shadow demon standing nearby. 

‘T…tried it again did you?’ the imp laughed. 

‘Tried what?’ Quatre asked phasing in, his translucent mouth also busting out laughing when he saw Wufei. He was incapable of forming a solid figure at night in this realm for the lack of the suns warm rays just as Wufei had a hard time coping after dawn. This, in no way, stopped him from participating though, as he piled up on the ground with Trowa in a fit of laugher. 

‘D...did he at least buy you dinner?’ the imp cackled. 

‘Shut up,’ Duo groused leaning on his sardine can car. When the other two saw it they busted up even harder latching onto each other dramatically. 

‘Oh, Duo!’ Trowa wailed pinning the sprite under him in a blatant over dramatization. 

‘Wufei! No! No! Please don’t!’ Quatre played along allowing him to pin his arms and ravage his neck where he lay on top of him. 

‘It’s not funny!’ Duo snapped, but there was no menace in it as he was having a hard time not laughing at the ridiculous image of an imp and a sprite in playful combat and Wufei standing there with crimson cheeks. ‘That’s the third time he’s run off my girl!’ he said keeping his tone as serious as he could. 

‘She was unworthy,’ Hiiro said smoothly. 

‘I’ll decide whose worthy!’ Duo snapped instantly sobering the moment the words left his mouth and backing nervously against the car. 

Hiiro’s expression had not changed, but the entire clearing had gone dead quiet, not a movement or a sound. Not even the crickets or the wind dared to stir. For a long moment nothing happened then the Lords dark eyes shifted carrying with them the weight of ten thousand centuries while he slowly advanced on his trembling ward. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Duo whispered desperately pressing himself into the car so hard he knew the door handle would leave a bruise, but the Demon Lord ignored his apology for the most part, his expression only darkening while he came to stand directly in front of the frightened boy. He just looked at him for a long moment taking in the shimmering moonlight in his hair, how softly his skin glowed and the terrified sparkle in the depths of his bottomless, violet eyes then he leaned in ever so slowly, painfully so and Duo felt every hair on his body stand on end as he brushed his cheek along his breathing deeply of the scent that had intrigued him so few years ago. 

This was not an uncommon occurrence, though it had all but stopped happening in the past year or so. The Dark Lord would often call him and just hold him endlessly soaking up his scent, tasting his skin much as he was doing now as he ran his tongue along the line of his jaw sending shivers all over his body. It wasn’t until recently, in the past couple of years that he’d been allowed to live in the human world that he started to get the feeling that one day the disguised Demon would take a bite out of him and that’d be all she wrote. He’d never seen his true form, but he understood that in it he would be easily capable of devouring him with little effort. However, this was not the reason his knees were threatening to give out. Wufei’s charm was like a poke in the eye with a sharp needle compared to Hiiro’s. Duo had no doubt that if the Demon chose to dine on him he’d offer himself up willingly to his appetite without a second thought. Such was the power of the Over Lord. However, it seemed that tonight he would be allowed to live when the blue eyed devil moved gracefully away. 

The moment he did the crickets began to sing, the wind picked back up and Trowa went back to nibbling on Quatre’s neck, but the laugher was completely absent from their antics. The smirk had also returned to Wufei’s lips when Hiiro turned his attention from the shivering boy before him to that of the shadow demon. Duo dared a deep breath of relief as he moved away stepping up to the ebony creature and silently taking him in his arms to kiss his smiling lips. 

‘I want the sun,’ Quatre gasped as the game had taken on a much more serious tone and Trowa was pretty much already crawling down his pants. Not another word was spoken between them while they faded out of sight, their figures winking out just as Wufei and Hiiro’s began to loose validity. 

‘Hey!’ Duo grumbled. ‘What about my car!?’ he shouted, but the demons weren’t paying him any attention. 

Hiiro’s presence had wiped out Wufei’s mind and Hiiro himself wasn’t one known to tolerate interruptions when he was fraternizing with the shadow demon. ‘God damn it!’ Duo yelled tossing a rock through the air where the Demon Lord and his charge had just disappeared. ‘Why is it _I’M_ the only one who doesn’t get laid!?!?’ he roared at the uncaring sky. 

‘Duo...dude…What in the hell happened to your car?’

‘Don’t ask,’ he groaned dropping his tattered and doodle covered text book on the small wooden desk before plopping down into it. 

‘Whatever, man,’ Howard shrugged eyeing the mangled mess out the open window while more of his students filtered into the small, airy classroom. 

‘Duo! What happened to your car?’ 

‘Hey, Hilde,’ Duo smiled ignoring the comment. 

His expression went somber for a moment when Lindsey walked in glancing once at him, then ducking her head and heading for the seat farthest from him. She’d refused to answer his calls or speak to him at all since their date and for what it was worth he couldn’t blame her. It was an awful thing to be messed with by one of the Dark Lords favorite underlings. At that point he really just hoped she’d eventually get over it and be able to forget the whole nasty ordeal. 

‘What’s with her?’ Hilde asked taking the seat next to Duo. 

‘Did you two have a fight?’ another voice Duo recognized as his best friend, Solo, asked as he sat down behind him. 

‘We...broke up,’ Duo told them glancing regretfully in the girl’s direction, but she was staring intently at a small spot on the baseboard as if she were scared it might reach out and bite her. Duo sighed silently cursing the shadow demon and several of his family members. 

‘Oh, Duo, I’m so sorry,’ Hilde soothed touching his hand. ‘What happened? Is there anything we can do?’

‘Naw,’ Duo sighed. ‘It’s over. I’ll deal. Hey, you guys want to catch some waves after school?’ he asked icing over his broken heart in favor of being pitied. 

‘Sure,’ Solo replied allowing him his dignity. 

‘I can’t,’ Hilde moaned pulling her gum out of her mouth and sticking it to the corner of her aged and scraped up desk. 

‘Why not?’ Duo inquired also preparing for the lesson. 

‘HellOo! Rehearsal?’ she grumbled rolling her big brown eyes. 

‘Oh, yeah. Sorry.’

‘No biggy,’ she sighed turning her attention to the rather large contraption that Howard had just rolled into the center of their classroom. 

‘We’ll be there,’ Solo smiled touching her shoulder supportively while she smiled and leaned back into the warmth of his hand. 

‘Yeah, you know we wouldn’t ditch you,’ Duo added feeling the guilt for his forgetfulness lift while his resolve to support his friend solidified. 

The day seemed to drag by no matter how hard he tried to entertain himself. Being anywhere near Lindsey was awkward and uncomfortable, so he spent his lunch time outside under a big palm tree watching the waves lap at the shore along the white sandy beach that bordered their little school of misfits and outcasts. Solo and Hilde joined him and they had a pleasant time just enjoying the ocean breeze before they had to head to the final lesson of the day. A lesson Duo almost always dreaded because though the subject was quite interesting, the instructor was a bit of a thorn in his side. As much as he hated to admit it for fear the acknowledgement might actually make it real he couldn’t deny the man was infatuated with him. If he’d learned of his and Lindsey’s separation it would mean he was in for an uncomfortable lesson. Luckily, he’d faced far more frightening things in his time than one over anxious, homosexual teacher. Not many though. 

Mercifully, his illustrious instructor showed him no more favoritism than he usually did while they gathered their tools and equipment and headed out to the large barn that housed their current practical science project. This was Duo’s favorite subject because he not only got to learn about cutting edge technologies, but they were actually required to apply them in a practical manor. Hence the huge mecha that slumbered silently on its back in the hanger. This was also where most of their funding came from as when they were successful in their creation it would become the prototype for a new type of soldier in a new kind of army that would make it possible for all people to live in peace. Well, that was the general idea anyway. Reality was that Duo just kind of got off on tinkering with the mammoth robot and if he had to put up with some innuendo and grab ass then those are the hard lumps of life. Hell, he was raised by Demons and still had all his fingers and toes; this was a piece of cake. 

‘How is your progress?’ 

Okay, maybe a slice bread. 

‘Not bad,’ Duo replied to the tall man with the platinum hair. Maybe it was a hair thing; his was half as long as Duo’s thigh length locks. ‘I think I’ve just about got the hydraulic problem worked out,’ he told him going back to his work. Don’t make eye contact…Right?

‘I heard about your misfortune,’ he said softly. Duo jerked and moved his leg glaring up at the guy while he smiled and dropped some microscopic fragment that he’d apparently plucked from Duo’s pants leg on the ground. ‘If there’s…anything I can do,’ he offered, his ice blue eyes making that word `anything` into a wet dream. 

‘Nope,’ Duo replied turning back to his work. 

‘Perhaps I could come by later.’ 

‘Look, Zechs…’

‘Duo? Do you have the 9/16ths?’ Hilde called. 

‘Umm, yeah, just a sec,’ he replied grateful for his friends intervention while he took her the tool. 

He didn’t have to deal with Zechs again until they were packing up for the day. Most of the class had already left leaving only Duo, Solo, Hilde and the instructor as was customary since Duo never had known when to stop, he was also Solo’s ride home and Hilde wasn’t about to leave him there with Zechs. It didn’t happen often since even there a homosexual teacher of his standing couldn’t bend the rules too far. They were all there for the same reason, they had more brains than sense, but now and then Zechs would pull his weight and hold Duo back after class. These were never good situations and although his friends were not allowed to accompany him inside they insisted on standing right outside the door while they waited for him. 

‘What is it?’ Duo asked once situated in the small, dimly lit office. 

‘Please,’ Zechs purred. ‘Sit.’ 

‘No thanks,’ he replied. ‘What did you need to see me about?’ 

‘Duo,’ he smiled moving around to lean on the desk in front of him making Duo wish he’d chosen to sit after all. ‘I realize you are at an age when your interests have...blossomed,’ he said raking his eyes down his slender body. Duo fidgeted, but made no other comment. ‘You don’t have to hide your pain,’ he smiled. 

‘If you’re talking about Lindsey...’ 

‘Of course, I am,’ Zechs spoke kindly. ‘She’s what? The third girlfriend you’ve been through this semester?’

‘That’s none of your business,’ Duo said firmly. 

‘It is absolutely my business,’ he countered stepping closer to him. ‘Everything that has to do with you is my business,’ he told him reaching out towards his cheek with a look of purest desire in his pale eyes. ‘I care for you,’ he said trying to touch his cheek, but Duo took a step backward and avoided the contact making him frown sorrowfully.

‘I’m not interested in you that way,’ Duo told him sternly. ‘You know that.’ 

‘Things change,’ Zechs breathed advancing again, but this time Duo had nowhere to go. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t find him attractive. Hell, he was like an angle to look at, every aspect of his physical presence a tantalizing tid bit for the wanting soul not to mention he’d been raised by a bunch of demons that could’ve cared less what someone’s gender was and more often than not took each other as partners despite the fact they were all male. They had apparently lost interest in the human race for the most part and turned to one another long, long ago, but Duo wasn’t a demon and he kind of liked the curvy softness of a female’s fleshy body. The fact that this was a totally NORMAL way to behave was a huge plus as well. 

‘Don’t,’ he warned, his need for some sort of tangible touch holding him in place, restraining his ability to cry out for his friends, but it wasn’t a threat that came from his own desire to halt the advance that was making him nervous. His heart was slamming into his ribs out of fear instead of exhilaration while he waited for some gruesome ghouly to come whizzing through the wall and take the poor mans head off. He was very relieved when he heard Hilde shout instead. 

‘Hey! Watch it!’ she barked when a shadow flew by her shadow on the other side of the marbled, painted glass in the door. A moment later something slammed into the wall when another shadow flew by. 

‘Damn,’ Zechs swore going to open the door and stop what appeared to be a fight in the hall. ‘Hey! Hold it!’ he yelled going over to the two boys that were wrestling on the ground to pull the one on top up to his feet. It helped that he stood a full head and shoulders above the rest of the students. ‘Calm down!’ he rasped, but Duo could no longer hear his words. His heart had just stopped beating completely, his blood congealing while an icy wind froze his brain solid and his stomach dropped out on the ground. 

‘Hi’ya, Duo,’ Trowa grinned looking tattered and torn in his humanoid state, his long auburn bangs all mussed up and tangled where his opponent, a very amused sun sprite he knew by the name of Quatre, grinned brightly looking just as beat up and forlorn as the imp. 

‘You know these two?’ Zechs asked gasping and dropping the pair when Duo suddenly hit the floor. 

His head spun and his mind screamed `NO! NO WAY! What in the hell was that? Someone was gently slapping him in the face. 

‘…uo?...Duo? Are you alright?’ Hilde’s pained tenor broke through the fog, her chubby cheeked face swimming into view as he slowly regained his senses. 

‘Damn,’ he breathed shaking his head a little. ‘I though I saw, Ah!’ he barked jumping so hard he hit his head on the wall behind him in his haste when Hiiro’s blue eyes smiled at him from across the hall. 

The familiar sound of Trowa’s maniacal laugher pierced both the air and his heart as he slowly turned his violet eyes to see that Quatre was indeed at the imps side. His usual glittering sparkle toned down to an acceptable glow so that he bore little resemblance to his ethereal self just as Trowa’s usual habit of floating several inches off the ground had been curbed. Hiiro, well there was little that could be done to mask the Great Lords eminent presence any further so he simply stood as still as the grave watching as he was prone to do. 

‘Wh…what’re you doing here?’ Duo asked clearly astonished by their presence. 

‘You know them?’ Solo questioned eyeing the group of demons warily while the imp continued to giggle and lean heavily on the chuckling sprite. 

‘Uh...we’ve met,’ Duo stammered allowing his friends to pull him from the floor. He chanced a look at Hiiro to find him smirking in amusement. 

‘Who are they?’ Hilde asked still shaken by his reaction, but Duo appeared to have checked out the moment his eyes met Hiiro’s. ‘Duo?’ she called curiously glancing between them while Hiiro’s smile curled the corners of his lips evilly until Duo suddenly shuddered and looked away. The smile vanished with the broken gaze. 

‘What’re you boys doing here?’ Zechs interjected authoritatively. ‘You aren’t supposed to start classes until tomorrow.’ 

‘C...c...c...classes!?!’ Duo stammered and Hiiro’s grin returned. 

‘We’re going to school!’ the sprite chirped happily. 

‘`Tis the time for young maidens with favors a`plenty, for the clever young gamin to catch unawaaaaares!’ he imp sang in a lively tune while he took the spites pale hand and danced about his slender body ending with his arms wrapped around his waist and a huge, well…impish grin on his face. 

‘What maidens?’ Quatre asked sulkily. 

‘Those,’ Trowa replied indicating Hilde, his emerald eyes flashing with mischief. 

‘What need have we for those?’ Quatre asked pulling away from him, his aquamarine orbs glowing softly. 

‘Guys,’ Duo said warningly glancing around at the other humans in the hall. 

‘They can be fun to play with,’ Trowa went on ignoring him. 

‘What do you need one of those to play with for?!’ Quatre snapped trying to slap the ginning elf in the head, but he was (oddly enough) not there anymore and sent the sprite a huge raspberry when his eyes finally found him again before ducking behind Duo for protection.

‘Settle down,’ Zechs broke in, but Quatre was still trying to swat the giggling demon missing again when he darted behind Hilde this time. 

When she suddenly yelped and grabbed her ass glaring daggers at the mischievous imp Duo saw the tale tell shimmer of light in the sprite’s cerulean eyes before the first finger on his right hand began to softly glow. A moment later the sprite had mysteriously tripped over something and smashed his head into the wall so hard it left a crack in it. The imp was instantly by his side and Duo’s eyes had locked on the smirking face of their Master where he stood by looking highly amused by the entire event. 

‘Oh my god!’ Hilde shrieked going to the sprites side, but Duo intercepted her before she could get close enough for the imp to damage her for desecrating his lover. ‘Is he alright?’ she asked still tugging as if she wanted to help. 

‘I’m fine,’ Quatre replied shaking his thick blonde locks. It was nice to be immortal, but it kind of sucked when the crack in your skull took days to heal. ‘Forgive me,’ he added softly and Duo understood it was directed implicitly toward the Dark Lord. 

‘You boys aren’t even supposed to be here,’ Zechs snapped loosing his patience. ‘We might not be General Bark’s Military Academy, but I can assure you this type of behavior will not be tolerated in class. I suggest you think on that this evening,’ he told them. 

‘You speak of…rules,’ Hiiro said in a slow, even tone that made the hair on Duo’s arm’s stand up and his entire body tremble in anticipation. Any minute now he expected his friends and his school to go up in a mushroom cloud. 

‘Yes...rules,’ Zechs repeated haughtily pulling himself up to his full height. A height that Duo knew was about as impressive to Hiiro as a limp piece of cheese. 

‘We are expected to...obey...these rules,’ Hiiro stated walking slowly around the trembling Duo. All he could do was fix his eyes on a point ahead of him and pray to gods he knew didn’t exist that he could stay on his feet. 

‘Of course,’ Zechs replied, his ice blue eyes narrowing menacingly when Hiiro paused behind the braided youth then moved in close to him. Close enough to breath in the scent of his hair and touch him deep within his soul. 

‘Rules such as teachers not fraternizing with students,’ the Demon Lord said softly while he grinned over Duo’s shoulder at Zechs suddenly flustered face. 

‘Hey, man, give him some space,’ Solo said firmly while he watched Duo’s knees shake slightly. 

‘Don’t,’ Duo breathed almost inaudibly making Hiiro’s smile curl up at the corners. 

Trowa was taken by another quiet fit of giggles while the Demon Lord indulged in a deep inhalation of Duo’s tangible scent before slowly moving away. For a long moment no one said a word while the sprite and imp fell into step behind him, Trowa still giggling under his breath while he helped the swaying pixie along until finally they disappeared and everyone in the hall let out one, huge, collective sigh. 

‘Are you okay?’ Hilde asked immediately when Duo suddenly sagged in relief. 

‘Yeah,’ he lied avoiding her touch as he was still trembling and didn’t really want her to know. ‘Let’s go,’ he said moving off down the hallway, his friends glancing at the steady blue eyes of their teacher who was still staring at where the demons had disappeared with an expression of deepest loathing. 

‘Shit, Duo, who in the hell was that guy?’ Solo asked staying close to his sweat dampened friend just in case he should have need of him. 

‘Friend of the family,’ Duo replied rubbing his icy hands together. Damn it! How could he do this to him? What in the hell was he thinking enrolling a bunch of demons in a high school!?

‘There was something very…odd about him,’ Hilde observed glancing back at the school nervously. 

‘Yeah, he can be a little...intense,’ Duo chuckled. 

‘I can’t believe he confronted Marquise like that,’ Solo laughed. 

‘Yeah,’ Hilde agreed. ‘It was almost as if he was looking after you.’ 

‘He’s definitely protective,’ Duo told them. ‘Look, can we talk about this later? We’re already late for your rehearsal,’ he reminded her. 

‘Oh, shit!’ she gasped grabbing him by the arm to pull him along faster towards his sardine can of a car. He had no clue what his demon guardians were up to, but he had a very bad feeling about this. 

There is something highly erotic about the hula. Maybe it’s the line of scantily clad young women or perhaps the graceful movements of the dance. Of course, it could’ve been those tantalizing little hip gyrations that kept drawing Duo’s gaze. Whatever the case he was suddenly glad things hadn’t worked out with Lindsey since half the company was giving him the eye. Damn nice pickin’s too. Especially the little brunette down near the end. Hoo ah! 

The company which Hilde had been a member of since she was about eight years old had been employed to perform at an upcoming luau in honor of their illustrious schools benefactor Colonel Treize Khushrenada of the Seventh Infantry division of the Alliance Military Corps. A very impressive man with a very impressive position and an equally impressive visage that provided most of the funding to their less than impressive, little school. No one really saw much of him unless there was to be an inspection of the grounds and their projects, which was why he was gracing them with his presence that coming weekend. As long as Duo’s surrogate family didn’t mess things up that is. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach when the entire line of girls suddenly went down in a heap of tangled limps and startled shrieks for no apparent reason at all. 

‘Trowa!’ Duo growled under his breath. 

‘What?’ Solo inquired laughing his ass off at the jumble of girls while he set his bongo drums aside. He and Duo had been enlisted to help play since they were short of drummers. 

‘Nothing,’ Duo sighed watching while he went to help untangle Hilde from the mess, but his preparations for severe depression were interrupted by the sudden appearance of goose bumps along his spine. 

‘Hello, Duo,’ Trowa’s slip of a voice sounded softly in his ear, but when he turned there was nothing tangible to prove the imp had ever been behind him. 

‘What’dyu want!’ he hissed heatedly shifting his eyes back to the pile of girls. 

‘Ssssssssssilly aren’t they?’ the imp breathed in his ear sending a shiver down his already prickling spine. 

‘What is Hiiro up to?’ Duo asked while he had the chance doing his best to ignore the playful elf’s teasing. 

‘Who knows,’ the imp sighed blinking into existence beside him. Duo immediately put a hand on his hip and shoved him down onto the stage as he’d been floating in a horizontal position when he faded in. ‘It’s very amusing though, don’t you think?’ he laughed lightly raising a brow as his emerald eyes danced merrily in the firelight and suddenly several of the girls that had managed to get up fell back down again. 

‘Stop it!’ Duo growled. 

‘Pooh,’ the imp puffed and was gone. 

Duo sat very still, waiting, watching, but nothing came. He was just starting to relax and let his attention fall back onto the milling clump of girls when he felt a nibbling at his ear as if a hungry mouse had mistaken it for a piece of tasty cheese and jerked away. He instinctively covered the side of his head protectively while he gazed into disembodied emerald orbs that seemed to laugh along with the eerie giggling that invaded his mind just before the imp hissed, ‘Night has come,’ and vanished. 

‘Shit,’ Duo breathed looking around wildly from one shadow to another. He’d completely let it slip his mind. If Hiiro had given Trowa and Quatre free reign over the day that meant the night belonged to…

‘Pretty.’

‘Gah!’ Duo gasped jumping half out of his skin. ‘Will you _please_ not do that shit!?’ he growled holding his thundering heart while the shadow demon drew the bits and pieces of himself from the corners and crevices to solidify beside him. 

‘Where’s the fun in that?’ Wufei grinned toothily. 

‘Damn it,’ Duo sighed still trying to get his pulse under control. ‘You guys are gonna give me a damn heart attack,’ he grumbled. ‘I thought I was supposed to be learning how the other half lives,’ he grumped. ‘What’s with you guy’s coming to classes with me now?’

‘It is the Great Lords will,’ the shadow demon stated simply grinning at a particularly klutzy girl who still hadn’t gotten her feet under herself properly. 

‘That’s great,’ Duo sighed. ‘Just great. Anything at all to amuse his Lordship,’ he groused. 

‘That is your great honor,’ Wufei readily agreed. 

‘Why can’t he just leave me the hell alone?’ 

Duo knew his mistake the moment the words left his mouth when the air around him suddenly became thick and hard to breathe. Darkness settled in his heart filling him with such an all consuming despair he just wanted to die right then and there, but his terror would not allow him the freedom to even do himself harm while he stared blankly into the enraged onyx eyes of the shadow demon. 

‘Your life is but the blink of an eye to, My Lord,’ he breathed, the sound gravely and distant, yet so close it brushed the very fiber of Duo’s soul. ‘Never forget the blessed gift that has been given to you.’ 

Duo reached down into the depths of himself for the strength to speak the words he had wanted to say for so very long and for the first time ever managed to find them. ‘It’s my life.’ 

‘Impudent fool,’ Wufei grinned while his black eyes began to boil, a red circle appearing around the outside of the black iris’s while an otherworldly wind stirred around them. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, but he found himself either unable or unwilling to do so, which appeared to amuse the demon very much. ‘You have chosen,’ he smiled and Duo suddenly erupted in flames. In an instant the inferno blazed and dissipated only to reappear and engulf Wufei forcing him to scatter his substance to the four corners of the world or be burned alive and in a flash he and his fire were gone. 

‘Duo?’ Solo called having seen the flash. ‘You okay?’

Duo forced himself to nod not wanting his friend to come over and find him hyperventilating and sweating like a pig before a luau. What in the hell had just happened? His answer came born on a the steady gaze of a pair of twilight blue eyes when he caught site of Hiiro standing on the other side of the gathering, his bronze skin glowing warmly in the firelight and making the small smile on his face appear almost...warm. Okay, so Hiiro saved him, he did that all the time, but what happened? Had he actually just openly defied a demigod? Oh, man, this could be a reeeeally bad thing. He dropped his gaze for a moment to gather what was left of his composure together and when he looked back up Hiiro was gone. Shit. So…where was Wufei? Maybe it was time to go join the others. Yeah, that’s what he’d do so he stood, willing himself not to glance at the shadows and walked into the crowd. 

Hiiro watched him go from his perch atop a tall palm nearby. The strange yearning in his chest sparking long forgotten memories of a time not so long ago when his young ward was less than impressed by his demon guardians. A time when ignorance and the steely stubbornness of a two year old child overruled any fear he may have felt for them. He found himself smiling at the image of Trowa’s terrified face when he found him trying to figure out how to snipe off one of the child’s tiny toes without making him cry. 

**

‘What in all **Hell** do you think you’re doing!?’ Quatre snarled advancing on the flustered imp while he did his best to hide the bound and gagged child behind his slender body. 

‘Nothin.’ 

‘Give him back!’

‘We were just playing,’ the imp grumbled turning to untie the wriggling child. 

‘And what is **this** for then?’ Quatre snapped snatching up the large pair of hoof snips lying on the stone beside the toddler. 

‘Protection,’ Trowa grinned. 

‘From a two year old?!’ the sprite snarled suddenly embedding the blade in the elf’s right shoulder and sending several intense light beams at him that had him crackling and sizzling while he yelped and danced to dodge them, then with a sudden poof he was gone. ‘And stay away!’ Quatre shouted to the empty air, his animosity disappearing completely at the sound of the child’s delicate laugher. 

‘I only wanted a bite.’ Trowa grinned fading back into sight and hovering in a horizontal position with his head propped up on one hand. 

‘You can’t eat him!’ 

‘I wasn’t going eat him! Ow! Willful sprite!’

‘Glutinous imp!’ 

*giggle* 

They stopped again, both smiling at the child while he laughed heartily at their insanity, but nothing could have prepared them for the moment when Hiiro’s omnipotent chuckle rolled through the sky like a peal of joyous thunder. They had heard him laugh before, eons ago, but it never sounded quiet like that. This carried with it no malice, no purpose or intent other than to express the pure amusement of the Demon Lord and none of them had ever heard anything quite like it before. Soon Quatre and Trowa were laughing right along with him then slowly the sound began to soften until it was nothing more than a gentle chuckle while the Great Lord picked up the child and carried him off into the land. 

‘What was that?’ Quatre mused. 

‘I don’t know, but it felt damn good,’ the imp grinned. 

‘Shall we try it again?’ Trowa looked thoughtful for a moment, then burst out laughing while Quatre stood there looking dumbfounded by his actions until he suddenly stopped. 

‘It’s not the same,’ he informed him casually. 

‘Too bad,’ the sprite sighed. ‘It felt nice.’ 

‘I can make you feel nice,’ Trowa purred floating past his ear. 

‘You tried to eat the baby,’ Quatre grumbled, but he didn’t pull away from the green eyed imps caressing lips. 

‘Just a bite,’ he said softly nibbling his luminous ear. 

‘Ah...Trowa.’

‘Mmmm,’ he growled pushing the slight blond back against the stone where the child had lain moments before. Hiiro chuckled again before moving off from where he’d been watching them only this time the sound bore no resemblance to the one before while he sent two lesser demons from under a nearby rock to summon both the child’s caretaker and the elegant shadow demon who he knew would so adequately satisfy his needs. 

**

Duo smiled shyly while he helped that cute brunette that had caught his eye straighten her grass skirt. The presence of his demon kin was all but forgotten while his mind conjured up a viable reason to ask her for an evening of her time when a shiver suddenly ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the curvy figure before him. 

‘Duo?’ she, one Lea by name, inquired curiously blushing softly while a giggle rose in her throat, but he was distracted and staring up at the top of a thick palm in the yard. ‘What is it?’ she inquired looking also, but her big brown eyes saw nothing but frawns swaying in the breeze and the star filled night sky. 

‘Nothing,’ he replied knowing his demonic advocate would not allow her eyes to see what his own clearly observed. 

He was once again taken by the incredible beauty of the dark angel. It never ceased to amaze him how utterly perfect he was in every last detail from his thick, rich, chocolate brown hair right down to those funny yellow sneakers he wore. He wondered briefly what his true form might be like, the others had teased him about it so many times, but no one had ever let on what the truth might be. He knew it was large, much larger than a human and that his skin was actually crimson. Quatre let that one slip once when he was about eight, but other than that he had only his imagination to go by. Secretly he thought no matter what he must be a glorious being. 

‘We’re going over to Lila’s for an ice cream after practice,’ Lea smiled bringing him back to the present. ‘Want to come?’ 

‘Umm, yeah,’ Duo smiled glancing once more back at the Demon Lord before following the hula girl inside the small dojo style dance studio. 

He had such a good time with her that night just hanging out with Solo and Hilde he still had a grin on his face the next morning, but it quickly slipped away when he was forced to deal with the reality that his ethereal family had enrolled in his school. 

‘Hey, there are your friends,’ Hilde said pointing them out down the hall where Trowa was trying to light peoples clothes on fire with a cigarette lighter as they passed while Quatre giggled, but most of the students were giving Hiiro a very wide birth so they weren’t having much luck. 

‘Shit,’ Duo sighed under his breath. 

‘Hey, Duo!’ Trowa cheered bounding over to dance about him. ‘Come on! Where’s your skirt, man?!’ he teased mimicking some of the hula moves of the girls the night before. 

‘Aloha oi! Aloha oi!’ Quatre sang giggling madly while he joined in, his slender hips shimmying back and forth while he waved his arms about and the other students decided to take an entirely different path to class. 

‘Behave!’ Duo hissed wishing he could just sink into the aged wooden floor boards. 

‘Come on!’ Trowa chirped gleefully. ‘Put a little fire under your ass!’ he laughed striking the lighter at the tip of Duo’s long braid, which promptly exploded in his hand. 

‘Trowa!’ Quatre yelped going to his lover’s side to assess the damage as the imp was holding it protectively to his chest while Hiiro smirked and Hilde just about had a coronary. 

‘Oh, my god! Oh my god!’ she panted over and over cupping her hands to her mouth. 

‘That’s your right hand you wretched minx!’ Quatre growled prying at his hand. ‘Why don’t you _think_ before you do stupid…’ his words paused when the imps wicked, green eyes sparkled brightly and he slowly revealed his unscathed hand. ‘Fiend!’ Quatre sneered smacking him all over his thin body and head with as many brutal blows as he could possibly land while Trowa cackled and backed away shielding his face with his arms. 

‘Is he...is he alright?’ Hilde breathed. 

‘Can’t you control them!?’ Duo growled under his breath, but Hiiro just smiled while they continued to make a ruckus. ‘Shit.’

‘What’s your first class?’ Solo interjected eyeing the still wrestling pair warily. 

‘Mechanical Engineering,’ Hiiro replied evenly. 

‘That’s with us,’ Hilde tried on a smile, but it didn’t seem to want to stick around when Duo groaned. 

‘Umm, _what_ are they doing?’ Solo asked looking as if he’d just caught sight of a three headed catfish when Trowa slammed Quatre up against the wall beside one of the screenless, painless windows that lined the hall and kissed him hard. 

‘Shit!’ Duo barked darting over to try and separate them. ‘You can’t do that here!’ he hissed while Trowa giggled at his continuous failures to pray them apart as he just couldn’t seem to get a grip on them for some reason. ‘Damn it! Hiiro!’

‘Hold.’

They instantly obeyed the one word command, though they were still chuckling and eyeing each other mischievously. 

‘Why can’t you just go home!’ Duo snapped turning on his heal and marching off into Howard’s classroom leaving his friends and his surrogate family in the hall together. Hilde smiled weakly, then bounded after him as fast as her feet would carry her, whereas Solo moved much slower so he could keep one eye on the odd trio at all times. 

Duo managed to completely ignore the demons for the first half of class though most of the rest of the students were very interested to learn how Trowa had managed to build a fully functional six inch robot in less than half an hour. If Howard thought it strange that Hiiro did nothing but sit in his chair stone still and stare unblinkingly at Duo he had nothing to say about it. Quatre’s need to sit in the window sill playing with a sunbeam in the palm of his hand appeared to go unnoticed to anyone but Duo as well. Well, perhaps not as much unnoticed as unremarkable. It wasn’t until Trowa’s little robot suddenly lifted its arms and pelted the crowding students with sticky wet balls of purple goo that Duo was forced to acknowledge their presence. Howard actually thought it was pretty creative and commended him once the imp regained control of his hysterical laugher. Even Duo had to admit that one was pretty funny, but he didn’t dare even think about what they might do as time wore on. 

That day was another of his favorite classes, but he couldn’t really work himself up to being excited about it since he knew the terrible trio would be enrolled. They’d been in all of his classes so far, so there was no reason to think they wouldn’t accompany him to art as well. He only got to go to this class twice a week as an elective and he wasn’t thrilled that Hiiro would be getting a first hand look at his work. He managed to keep his canvas turned away from them, especially Hiiro, the cover draped over it still in place save for the small corner he was currently working on until he suddenly felt the heady presence of the Demon Lord not two inches from the back of his neck. He froze, his heart slamming into his dry throat while every muscle in his body seized and he began to labor for breath. 

‘Show me,’ Hiiro commanded and the heavy intent of his words wafted along the raw center of Duo’s being like the acrid breath smoldering against the sensitized skin of his neck. His hand trembled when he moved to obey because there was just no disobeying that tone, he’d never once in his entire life even thought of defying his sacramental will, but he couldn’t deny that he desperately didn’t want him seeing this particular painting and found his own will commanding his refusal. 

‘I...don’t want to,’ he breathed shakily. 

The rest of the class seemed to fade further away as if a heavy veil had descended between them and the other students making it hard to see anything but the painting and Hiiro’s sublime visage in Duo’s peripheral view. The blood shot through his veins suddenly while he gasped for breath when the Demon Lords hand slowly crept up the back of his shirt, his fingertips brushing along his skin sending waves of rippling pleasure throughout his body making his head spin and his knees weak and all he could care about anymore was praying that the feeling would never, ever stop while the Great Demon Lord leaned close to his ear and softly begged, “Please.’ 

The cloth dropped instantly, but Duo didn’t really see the canvas. However, Hiiro did and his blue eyes crackled with indigo lightening while a true smile graced his beautiful lips. Before him was his very own likeness, his humanoid likeness standing amid the stony landscape of his own realm only he was much larger than he usually was in his human form. The painting depicted him more the size of his true form standing at least twenty five feet tall, but what truly made his sapphire eyes dance was the fact that his skin was a brilliant crimson tainted here and there with ebony black, a pair of huge, red leather wings protruding from his shoulder blades while he surveyed his domain and a multitude of lesser demons scampered around his feet. Duo gasped again, a small whimpering sound when the Demon Lord slowly curled his fingers raking his hard nails down his tender flesh firmly leaving little red trails in their wake that fairly sang with indecent delight. 

‘Duo?...Is everything alright?’ Ms. Noin asked from the head of the class. ‘Are you ready to show your work?’ she asked curiously concerned by his lack of focus. 

‘NO!’ he barked frantically covering the canvas again and dislodging Hiiro’s hand from beneath his shirt in the process. ‘No...it’s not ready yet,’ he repeated as his heart slammed hard against his ribs and his brow shimmered with a hot sheen of sweat. Hiiro moved slowly, fluently beside him aiding him in his endeavor to cover the work while a small smirk played along his supple lips as he gazed sidelong at the furiously blushing Duo. Once it was covered and he had gotten control over his wobbling knees Hiiro moved off again and Duo took a long, deep, shaky breath and turned around right into Trowa. ‘Ah!’ 

‘I want to see,’ the imp grinned trying to lift the corner of the cover. 

‘Fade out!’ Duo hissed slapping his hand away crossly. Trowa grinned and let his emerald eyes go completely transparent which never failed to make Duo feel ill. 

‘He is pleased,’ the imp purred while his eye color snapped back into place and he drifted away much too gracefully for an earth bound creature. 

Duo felt that strange elation that only comes when a child has gained the approval of its parent fill his chest and felt compelled to pull the cover off of his creation once again letting his eyes drift over to where Hiiro was sitting behind Quatre smiling at him and felt the compulsion to smile back. It took only a moment for Hiiro’s mouth to curl up at the corners and Duo suddenly looked away taking the smile with him while he covered his work for a second time that day. 

Things settled a bit after that first day, though several toads that had already been opened for dissection for their science exam mysteriously awakened and caused a riot on Wednesday, Thursday’s meatloaf spurred a horrendous food fight for some unknown reason and Friday an old priestess named Shagu that lived deep in the forest on the cliffs of the active volcano Kohala that rose to the east of the school made a surprise visit shaking her rattles and sticks at anything that moved until Hiiro happened by and she beat a path right back up the mountain. She obviously had some real connection to the ethereal realm and had some idea of what she’d just encountered. Duo felt sorry for the poor woman, she was probably digging a hole in the side of the mountain and would never come out again if that was the case. 

It was the promise of Saturday date night that saved Duo’s sanity through the chaotic week. Lea had agreed to accompany him and his friends surfing for the afternoon and the day dawned bright and sunny and full of promise. Today there would be no classes, no food fights and no reason for the demons to disturb him, though in his heart he knew they hardly needed a reason. He wasn’t about to let it get him down though, as he grabbed his board, strapped it to the roof of his mangled car and headed out to pick up his date. She looked very cute in a bikini and cut off shorts. Very cute indeed. Especially around the hip area...yum. When they reached the beach they found Solo and Hilde just coming out of the surf dripping water everywhere and grinning breathily. 

‘Hey!’ Duo shouted over the wind and crashing surf. One nice thing about living in Hawaii was that there were almost always some righteous waves! ‘Looks good!’ he grinned sticking his board in the soft sand. 

Lea followed suit and greeted Hilde before they all hit the water together. Duo knew his date would be a good surfer since she was a native to the island and he wasn’t disappointed. She was almost as good as him and he had better agility than she did. She looked damn good all wet and working the waves, her deep brown face shimmering in the sunlight though she was looking a little red by the time late afternoon rolled around and they decided to go clean up for the evenings activities. 

‘Geez, Lea, didn’t you wear sun block?’ Hilde asked checking her friends stinging face by the showers while they rinsed off. 

‘Of course I did!’ she groused. ‘I don’t know, I guess the sun was just hotter than I expected,’ she sighed wincing while Hilde applied more cream. 

Duo’s chest tightened when he realized that she was the only one in the group that had suffered a sunburn and reluctantly turned his eyes toward the endless blue sky where he caught a glimpse of the sun sprite dancing merrily among the bright rays of brilliant light, though his light laugher was barely audible even to Duo’s ears while he cursed him under his breath. 

‘It’s not too bad,’ Hilde consoled. ‘You should be alright for the bon fire later, huh?’ 

‘Yeah,’ she sighed tossing a shy, little glance at Duo who smiled for her despite his fury with Quatre. ‘I’ll be okay. Let’s go get something to eat,’ she suggested taking him by the hand and pulling him away. Duo’s eyes went a little wider when he noticed the wall behind her sizzle and smoke in a little dot before they darted back to the open sky while she dragged him along where he saw the faint outline of the imp taunting the sprite in the clear blue sky. 

By the time Duo dropped Lea off and picked her back up for their dinner date her poor face was shinny and glowing. The fact that her sunburn had forced her to wear a white, spaghetti strap shirt with no bra didn’t exactly disappoint him, though. In fact, he was having a particularly hard time keeping his eyes on her face and off her ample bosom. They met back up with Solo and Hilde at a little hamburger counter down by the boardwalk along another of their favorite beaches where the short, dark hared girl was busily weaving Solo’s longer blonde locks into an intricate pattern along the back of his head. 

‘Help,’ he sighed cringing when Hilde slapped him in the top of the head. 

‘Looks good on you,’ Duo teased holding Lea’s chair for her. 

‘Traitor,’ Solo grumbled.

‘Yours could use some tightening too,’ Hilde said sternly reaching for Duo’s long braid, but he deftly avoided her touch. 

‘I don’t think so,’ he grinned. 

‘I could do it for you,’ Lea offered reaching as well, but she quickly found her wrist in Duo’s firm grip. 

‘Its fine,’ he smiled softening his hold. ‘You want a coke?’ he asked rising to go fetch some drinks by way of distracting her from what he’d just done. 

He couldn’t let her mess with it though, since the last person that had dared desecrate his shimmering tresses had a right hand that would slap him in the head mercilessly unless he kept it strapped to his side. Hiiro had taken it very personally. ‘Hey, can I get four cokes and some menu’s?’ he asked the attendant who turned around and grinned toothily at him, his emerald eyes flashing with glee. 

‘I dunno,’ Trowa quipped. ‘Can you?’

‘What the hell’re you doing here?!’ Duo growled glancing back at his company nervously. ‘And why’d you have to mess with Lea? Leave her alone from now on!’ 

‘We only wanted to be close to her,’ the imp smiled. ‘You know what I mean?’ he asked waggling his brows suggestively. 

‘Stay away from her,’ Duo warned. 

‘Or what?’ Trowa asked, his voice a clear challenge. 

‘I’ll glue Quatre’s knees together,’ Duo threatened, though he knew it was about as effective as a paper knife. 

‘Hmm,’ Trowa hummed thoughtfully pushing the four cokes across the counter to him, his little paper hat tilted just so on his auburn hair giving him the distinct impression of a circus clown while he smiled. ‘Not a bad idea,’ he grinned and Duo kept a close eye on him while he took the drinks back to the picnic table where his friends sat. 

‘You forgot the menus,’ Solo observed getting up to go get them. Duo sighed dejectedly when he stumbled over something no one could see almost toppling into the counter along the way. 

‘Hey,’ Hilde said. ‘Isn’t that one of those new guys from school?’ 

‘Yeah,’ Duo replied. ‘Listen, why don’t we just go somewhere else?’

‘Oh, but the view here is so nice,’ Lea interjected staring out at the twilight sea dreamily. 

‘Yeah, but they only have burgers in this joint,’ Duo argued. 

‘I don’t mind,’ she replied. ‘I like hamburgers.’ 

‘What’s with you?’ Hilde asked. ‘This is your favorite hang out,’ she reminded him. 

There was little he could do but resign himself to a sunset dinner with his date, his friends, his imp of an uncle and the ghostly outline of a sun sprite playing with the terns down on the beach that no doubt he was the only one who could see. Perfect. 

‘I will join you.’

‘Hiiro?!’ Duo gasped half falling out of his chair at the sound of the Masters even tone. Hiiro just smiled and waited patiently. ‘Umm, yeah, sure,’ Duo replied jumping up to see to his chair for him. 

His friends stared in mild shock while he made sure he was comfortable, straightened his bangs and sat his half full coke in front of him before returning to his seat and blushing bright red when he realized what he’d just done for the smiling demon. ‘So,’ he said suddenly moving the conversation along. ‘What brings you out tonight? You want a burger? They’re good here, but...well...Trowa’s cooking so...’

‘I have need of you,’ Hiiro told him calmly and Duo’s entire life ground to a slow halt. 

‘What’dyu need him for?’ Lea asked curiously. 

‘Yeah,’ Solo added. ‘We were just about to…order…’ His words trailed off when Hiiro’s dark blue eyes drifted over to regard him. 

‘Continue,’ the Great Lord told him. ‘My need is small,’ he said rising smoothly to his feet. 

‘Duo?’ Lea inquired softly when he stood on unsteady legs and followed without a word. ‘Is he coming back?’ she asked looking confused and bewildered. 

‘I…guess,’ Hilde replied shrugging while a loud scream came from the counter and a girl ran away into the gathering darkness slapping at her head with her boyfriend hot on her heals while Trowa doubled up in a fit of laughter. 

Duo’s heart raced faster and faster as he followed his Demon Master into a secluded, little spot off to the side of the boardwalk. He was already sweating and fighting for breath before the Dark Lord ever turned around to face him. He knew what this was about and though it hadn’t happened regularly in awhile he couldn’t deny that every fiber of his being was screaming out a pleading cry just begging for those last few inches to disappear. He was in Hiiro’s arms the moment his hands began to rise hugging him fiercely. The Masters smile faded away leaving his beautiful face devoid of any real semblance of contentment or happiness, his arms dangling uncertainly in the air by Duo’s sides. His deep, blue eyes slowly fell closed while he breathed deeply of the boy’s sweet scent. Duo gasped the moment his arms found their way around his thin body closing tightly around him as they hadn’t in so very long. He hadn’t realized how much he truly missed the feel of him and shuddered all the way down to his toes just to hold him in his arms. 

‘Enough,’ Hiiro breathed, but Duo refused to let go pulling him tighter. 

‘Please,’ he begged as tears seeped from his eyes and his knees shook uncontrollably while he held desperately to him. 

‘Enough,’ Hiiro repeated prying his arms from around his neck and pushing him away. Duo took a very deep, very shaky breath and wiped his soggy eyes while he wandered aimlessly back into the mortal realm. Hiiro stood for a long time staring unblinkingly at where he’d been before Wufei’s soft tone washed over him. 

‘You’re trembling,’ he smiled grunting loudly as all the air left his lungs when Hiiro’s hand slammed into his chest, his fingers fisting in the fabric of his shirt to the point his very substance was disturbed leaving a liquid, ebony fog oozing from between the Masters fingers when he jerked him close and kissed him brutally. The shadow demon submitted instantly, his legs going completely limp as his substance faded in and out and they slowly disappeared from view. 

‘Hey, man, the foods getting cold,’ Solo observed gently as he approached where Duo crouched in the sand watching the waves lap at the shore. 

‘Hm? Oh, right,’ he replied distantly. 

‘What is up with you?’ Solo asked. ‘What’d Hiiro want?’

‘Nothin,’ Duo answered going quiet again while he gazed out over the sea. 

‘You okay?’ Solo prompted worriedly. ‘Who is that guy anyway?’ Duo was quiet for a long moment before he finally stood and fixed a smile on his face. 

‘Nobody…Come on,’ was all he would say. 

For the remainder of the evening he was moody and withdrawn and ended up leaving Lea in the company of his friends at the bon fire in favor of walking down the beach on his own. He’d found himself a cozy little niche in the lee of a cluster of stones by a big palm tree where he could quietly watch the sighing of the sea alone when a soft chuckle rose and met his ears. 

‘Fuck off, Trowa,’ he said before the imp had fully materialized beside him. 

‘If you insist,’ the imp grinned leaning the last inch to nip at his ear. Duo just pulled away and ignored him, which seemed to really irritate him somehow. ‘Or maybe you’d rather give little Miss Lea that honor, hmmm?’ he teased gaining little more of a response from him than a roll of his violet eyes so…he pouted. 

‘What’s wrong, little one?’ Quatre’s soft tenor asked as his delicate outline shimmered ghostly in the darkness. 

Duo’s first inclination was to say `nothing` and `go way`, but he just didn’t want to deal with the way he was feeling alone. Quatre had always been the one to watch over him. He was selfish and spoiled and tended to be a tad sadistic at times, but in the end he’d always been there when Duo needed something. He was the one he went to when his pet bat bit him and the one to roast it on a spit in the amplified rays of the sun. He’d also been there when the harpy tried to turn him into her own personal sex doll when he was twelve. He still wondered sometimes if she’d ever gotten down from the crucifix. It had been Quatre and (indirectly) Trowa that taught him to read and write, though admittedly he’d learned Latin and Hebrew before English since most spells and incantations were done in these languages, so he had to stop and wonder if maybe, considering his origins, he’d been going about this whole puberty thing the wrong way. There was only one way to find out. 

‘Hold me.’ 

‘Excuse me?’ the sprite inquired looking confusedly stunned. 

‘You heard him. He said...’ Trowa grinned wickedly slithering up to his side where his mouth licked his earlobe while he hissed, ‘Hold me.’

‘Stop it, Trowa,’ Quatre grumbled rolling his eyes. ‘That’s not what he meant,’ he reprimanded his over anxious lover. 

‘Yes, it is,’ Duo said in a small, but clear voice. 

‘What?!’ Trowa chirped jumping a full three feet away while he gaped at him as if he’d just grown a fish tale. 

‘Duo, you can’t mean…’ Quatre began, but he cut him off. 

‘I do.’

‘Duo,’ Quatre said sitting beside him. ‘I know you’re frustrated and confused right now, but...’

‘That was consent right?’ Trowa broke in as his emerald eyes grew in their intensity while they raked down Duo’s beautiful body. 

‘Shut up,’ Quatre grumped. 

‘But he said...’

‘Hold me,’ Duo smiled stretching his legs out and leaning back so that his body elongated showing off just how very sublime it really was. 

‘Oh, damn,’ the imp grinned licking his lips.

‘Duo, you can’t be serious,’ Quatre grumbled. 

‘Sure he can,’ Trowa smiled moving closer. 

‘This is just frustration because Wufei ruined things with Lindsey,’ the sprite growled as his faint presence pulsed softly in agitation. 

‘He wants it,’ the elf reasoned while his vision narrowed down to where Duo’s hip was peeping out of from under his shirt sexily. 

‘He doesn’t want _you!_ ’ Quatre snapped. 

‘Yes, I do.’

‘No you don’t.’

‘He says he does, so wink out!’ Trowa cut in slapping at the air that the sprite almost occupied. 

‘Back off!’ Quatre retorted trying to send a heated ray at him, but in the dark he couldn’t muster anything more than a soft, silver beam and was forced to watch while the emerald eyed imp moved up and over the top of their charge slowly pushing him back along the stone beneath him. ‘Damn it, Trowa!’ But Duo was already arching back into the stone as his breath hissed from his body under the heated, passionately playful kiss of his impish guardian. 

‘MMMmmmm,’ Trowa groaned throatily loosing control as he began to explore the his lithe, firm body. ‘See?’ he said mostly to nobody. ‘That’s definitely consent,’ he breathed kissing Duo’s exposed rib cage where he’d pushed his shirt up to expose the sensitive skin. Duo’s chest heaved as his fingers sank into the folds of Trowa’s clothing while his body strained to feel more of the delicious sensations. 

‘Wow,’ Quatre commented. ‘He never reacted like that with any of those girls.’ 

‘That’s because he’s like you,’ Trowa grinned sending a shudder through Duo while he raked his fingertips down his torso towards his navel and beyond. Duo cried out arching back hard and clinging to him when his hand reached the lower part of his taunt stomach inspiring Trowa to lay his entire weight on him and kiss him hard. 

‘Hiiro’s not gonna like this,’ Quatre said, then turned his head and snapped back hissing a warning, ‘Trowa!,’ before blinking out. 

The imp was so into what he was doing he didn’t realize his mistake until he heard a small gasp beside them and then he was suddenly gone leaving the half exposed, very flustered and heavily breathing young man laying on the rock with no reasonable explanation while he blinked up at a very confused looking Lea. 

‘I...I thought…wasn’t that Trowa?’

‘Haven’t seen him,’ Duo ground out through a dry throat while his body still burned from the encounter. 

‘I could’ve sworn…ah!... Duo!... Don’t!’ she gasped struggling to free herself from his grasp, but he had her pinned under him kissing her madly inside of a split second while his hand worked swiftly on the loose, thin clothing she’d worn because of her sun burn. ‘Ow!...s...stop!’

He drew back realizing what he was doing when she cried out in pain and his chest tightened with guilt and sorrow as he jumped away from her. 

‘I’m…sorry,’ he gasped. ‘I don’t know why I did that...sorry,’ he said again before darting off into the night. 

‘Duo!’ she called after him, but he was long gone. 

He refused to take her calls after that telling her that he just wanted to chill on the whole dating scene for awhile, which was the honest truth. All he could think about anymore was how hot his body had become under the touch of his very male, very dominate demon advocate. A fact the imp _refused_ to allow him to deny. It hadn’t been anything like when he got close with his girlfriends. Maybe he really was warped beyond repair from his upbringing? He’d wanted so badly to become just another normal human kid with normal friends and a normal love life and…was it too much to ask? Okay, so even his human existence wasn’t exactly normal, but it was a lot closer than the immortal landscape of Hiiro’s realm. At least here he met other people like himself, people that would live and have children and eventually die unlike his demon family who would be around much longer than even the earth and sky. He recalled the day he realized he would eventually die. It didn’t bother him so much that his life would be over, but knowing his kin would forever miss him made him very sad, especially for Hiiro. 

Hiiro. Just the thought of the Demon Lord made him feel weak and jittery. He had a hunch this is why he’d stopped holding him so much since merely touching him sent him into emotional overdrive. He was protecting him from himself, from drawing his breath so slowly he might even pass out or die wishing time would just stop and allow him to remain in his arms. He couldn’t of course, he’d be nothing more than dust and a faint memory in a few hundred years, but he couldn’t deny that his heart longed for more. Was this the same kind of coercion Wufei used on him to coax him into his bed? Perhaps, but Duo didn’t think he did it on purpose. It was just like so many other things about the Great Demon Lord, inevitably and undeniably Hiiro.

The following week went by with no major disturbances to speak of other than Zechs trying to throw his weight about a bit and Hiiro pretty much ignoring it much to Duo’s relief. It was actually pretty funny when Zechs shoes suddenly burst into flame when he bent over Duo’s back to observe what he’d been working on. It wasn’t until that Friday night when Duo went home having once again turned down a get together with his friends in favor of sulking about his little, one room hut on a silent stretch of beach nearby the school that he was forced to face his dilemma. He’d been lying in his hammock watching the setting of the sun and contemplating the meaning of his life when Hiiro slowly faded into view. 

‘Hi,’ he smiled not bothering to move a comfortable muscle other than his mouth. 

‘What troubles you?’ the Demon Lord asked drifting slowly along, his presence seemingly to the right and left, or perhaps he was above...or below...or maybe right there beside him close to his ear. 

‘I think I’m gay,’ Duo replied truthfully knowing there was little meaning to trying to hide anything from him. 

He felt that odd sort of joy wash through him that only came from knowing that he’d pleased his Master in some way when the Great Lord chuckled an honest little laugh deep down in his throat. 

‘This pleases you?’ Duo asked holding his breath though he knew deep down there was pretty much nothing he could do that would actually displease the Demon. It still felt absolutely wonderful when he heard him say…

‘Yes,’ and suddenly nothing else mattered. 

He’d deal with whatever came along, right then all he wanted to do was turn and snuggle his head down into Hiiro’s chest and feel his warmth beside him. He was so content in doing this he didn’t really notice the slight indecision in the Demon Lords dark blue eyes before they slowly warmed over and he let his arms engulf the slender body beside him. Duo sighed deeply and cuddled up closer reveling in the feeling of his warmth lying so close while he slowly drifted off to sleep. When he woke the next morning the first thing he noticed was that there was a terribly delicious warmth beside him and he was mildly surprised to find that it was Hiiro when he opened his violet eyes. The Master hadn’t moved a muscle, he was still looking at him with that same expressionless gaze he always had. It hurt a little, but Duo was much too elated that he was still there to be sad. 

‘Mornin,’ he smiled cuddling up again. 

‘Duo.’ 

‘Hmm?’ 

‘What do you feel?’

‘What?’ he asked raising his head to look at him again. 

‘What do you feel for me?’ 

‘I…I love you,’ Duo stammered shocked by the very idea that he’d need to ask. 

‘Why?’

‘What’dyu mean why?’ Duo asked pushing further away to sit up. ‘Everyone loves you and that’s because...well...you’re you right?’ he told him searching the pile of shirts on the chair for something not too smelly. 

‘Zechs doesn’t,’ Hiiro teased. 

‘Bet he would if you stood still long enough,’ Duo quipped making his decision on the shirt and pulling it over his head. 

‘Do you care for him?’

‘What?!’ Duo gasped turning to face him. ‘You mean Zechs?’ he asked incredulously and Hiiro nodded. ‘Hell no!’ he grumbled amusedly. ‘What made you ask something like that?’

‘He and I,’ Hiiro said evenly catching his eyes in a way that refused to let them go. ‘We are the same.’

For one wild moment Duo let himself believe the meaning of those words were that Hiiro felt the same way about him as Zechs did, then his heart sank into his toes and his eyes just about popped out of his head when he realized the horrible truth. 

‘He’s a demon?!’ he gasped feeling very much like he needed to throw up when Hiiro didn’t deny it. ‘Shit,’ he breathed sitting on the pile of shirts in the chair since his legs weren’t about to support him anymore. ‘Did you place him here?’ he asked curious if perhaps he was a plant. 

‘He is my brother,’ Hiiro confessed. 

‘Your...brother?’ Duo repeated uncertainly. ‘You mean like...your _real_ brother? Like in...the same parents brother? That kind of brother?’ 

‘Our Father is the sire of many,’ the Demon Lord confirmed. 

‘So what? He’s like your equal?’ Duo breathed in awe as his knees quaked while he recalled all the times he’d insulted and rejected his teacher. 

‘I have no equal,’ was Hiiro’s only reply and it left Duo feeling very ashamed for having asked, but it was suddenly overshadowed by a terror he’d never before felt in his life. 

‘Kiss me,’ he hissed suddenly attacking the Master where he lay in the hammock. 

‘No,’ Hiiro told him seizing his wrist and pushing him away. 

‘Please,’ Duo begged. ‘Claim me as your own,’ he pleaded as his thin body shook from head to foot in fear and desperation. ‘He wouldn’t dare mess with me if I were…’

‘NO!’ Hiiro growled and the sound of it traversed several dimensions at once and rebounded back making it seem like he’d spoken in a hundred voices while he effortlessly tossed him across the floor and stood. 

‘Why?’ Duo sobbed sorrowfully while tears dripped from his nose to the floor where he sat in a dejected heap. For a moment Hiiro looked angry enough to seriously frighten him, but then his fury began to fade as well as the steady outline of his person while Duo looked up at him with pleading eyes. 

‘You would not survive,’ he told him in a tone that purely broke Duo’s heart leaving him a wretched disgrace balling like a baby on the weathered, wooden floor of his little hut. 

It took a very long time before the tears finally slowed to a pitiful trickle, but he still didn’t have the will to pull his bruised body from the floor until he heard an oddly compelling, gravely tone waft nervously through the air. 

‘Deceived you he has,’ Shagu said leering in the bottommost corner of his open air window. 

Duo stared at her aged face framed by wisps of graying, dark brown hair where a bulbous nose that kind of resembled a mans big toe and wide, deep brown eyes that looked as if they’d seen either way too much or way too little lay. 

‘Go away,’ he told her having not really heard her words, but she only jumped and moved swiftly and anxiously inside his little home. 

With a swoosh of thick skirts and the clinking of the many wooden totems of her many necklaces and pods she stood before him. 

‘Spell casting!’ she gurgled pointing one bony finger at him. ‘That’s the demons way,’ she told him gaining his full attention. 

‘What do you know of it?’ he asked pushing himself to his feet to find he, as short as he was, stood a full head taller than her squat form. 

‘Come to take you away, they have,’ she told him. ‘Shagu has seen it before, she has!’ she said moving around the room in some odd little dance. ‘They come and cast spells on the ones they wish to take as their own. Drag them into the nether world, they will!’ she warned looking around nervously under the furniture. Duo paused and had a look at the shadows himself. ‘Believe Shagu, little boy,’ she growled as if she expected him to break out the straight jackets any moment. 

‘It’s not like that,’ he told her making her stop and consider him while he sat on the edge of his hammock and sighed heavily. ‘They haven’t come to take me away,’ he told her. ‘They’re trying to return me,’ he said leaving a completely befuddled look on the old woman’s face at the tone of pure heartbreak in his voice. 

‘You want to go with them?’ she asked eyeing him warily. 

‘I grew up with them,’ he explained. It was so odd having another human to talk to about all this. He’d always just assumed she was a nutcase, go figure. Well, maybe she was, but she wasn’t completely wrong either. 

‘Impossible!’ she retorted. ‘They would just as soon dine on your flesh.’

‘Well, Trowa’s tried it a few times,’ he chuckled. 

‘You call them by name?’ she asked looking as if her eyes might pop out. 

‘Sure,’ he replied wiping his slippery nose on one of his smeller shirts. ‘They’re my...family,’ he told her looking very sad again. 

‘How could you have survived?’ she asked scootching a little closer to the door. 

‘I guess because Hiiro...’

‘AIIIEEEE!!!!!’ she shrieked dropping to the floor suddenly to curl up in a little ball. 

‘What?!’ he gasped looking around for some sort of danger. 

‘You speak the Masters name!’ she replied in a tremulous tenor while her thin fingers shook over her graying hair. 

‘Chill out,’ he chuckled. ‘That’s what I’ve always called him. You know his name?’ he asked curious as to how she would connect it to the Demon Lord.

‘The Gods of Kohala whisper it on dark nights when the blood moon is full and the mountain worships his Greatness,’ she told him retaining her protective pose. 

‘There are Gods on Kohala?’ he asked turning to look up at the volcano through his window. 

‘The Fire God deep in the mountains heart,’ she told him coming out of her little ball. 

‘Do these Gods have any power?’ he asked still staring contemplatively up at the peak. 

‘Yeeees, yes, of course!’ she replied gleefully fairly dancing with joy. 

‘And they worship Hiiro?’ 

She winced upon hearing the name again, but continued to smile while she nodded noisily. 

‘What about Zechs?’ 

‘Zechs?’ she repeated looking at him blankly. ‘He’s a pervert. Why?’ she inquired waving the subject off in favor of inspecting a small beetle on the window ledge. 

‘Nothing,’ Duo replied. 

Hm. She knew of Hiiro, but not Zechs? Could Hiiro have lied to him? Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time, but he’d sure never expected him to lie about something like that. Was he just trying to drive an even wider wedge between them? Was this the final push to make his presence in this realm a permanent reality? Would they all just suddenly disappear from his life never to return? His chest hurt terribly just to think of it. ‘These gods of yours,’ he said in a very soft, thoughtful tone while he turned his huge, violet eyes upon her. ‘Do they answer prayers?’ 

‘Oooh, no, no, yeeees...yes,’ she replied gathering her beetle in one of the pods dangling about her person. ‘But not for a long, long time. The sacrifice they demand is far too great,’ she said absently shaking her new friend around in its little home. 

‘What do they desire?’ Duo asked already knowing the answer. 

‘Your life,’ she shrugged dismissively. 

Duo was quiet for a time before he said quite clearly. ‘I want to speak to them.’

‘Oooh, no,’ she replied knowingly scuttling along the floor towards the door again. ‘You’re best dealing with your demons on your own.’

‘Take me or I’ll go myself,’ he said sternly stopping her in her tracks. She turned to regard him with an appraising eye. Once satisfied that he meant it she drifted back inside a ways. 

‘What prayer have you that you’d be willing to die for?’ she asked while one huge, brown eye twitched in anticipation. 

‘Can you take me or not?’ 

‘On the eve of the full, blood moon,’ she began dramatically, but Duo sighed and cut her off. 

‘Look, I’m a little pressed for time here,’ he told her knowing Hilde and Solo were probably already deep into preparations for the luau later that day. 

‘Oh, alright,’ she huffed in a snit waving her bony hand at him. ‘Meet me by Tauhuna Rock tomorrow night at eleven o’clock,’ she told him slipping away again. He chuckled while she waddled off rattling and grumbling something about impudent young upstarts as she went.

Surprisingly, Duo felt a lot better after his little talk with Shagu. The hopelessness that had filled him was eased by the idea that he might actually have some control over his own destiny for a change, which put a spring in his step and a smile back on his beautiful face. The sudden change appeared to upset his friends at least as much as his week long depression. 

‘Duo?’ Hilde questioned when he bounced into the courtyard of their little school feeling much lighter than he had in days. 

‘Hey,’ he chirped going so far as to kiss her lightly on the cheek. ‘What’s up? How’s the prep going? You need my help hanging the lanterns?’ he asked picking up a long string of the oriental looking lamps to detangle. 

‘Umm, yeah, sure,’ she smiled as his happy grin began to infect her. ‘Solo’s already working on the trees out back. Why don’t you go help him?’ she suggested chuckling softly when he agreed and bounded away with a handful of tangled wires and lamps. Well, at least he was smiling again. 

‘Yo! Uno! Ichi! Une! Unes!’

‘Duo!’

‘Steady there, big Kahuna,’ Duo laughed holding his arms warily under his friend who had almost fallen out of the tree when he rattled off his mocking litany of his names. 

‘Geez! Did you finally get laid or something?’ Solo groused jumping down to meet him. 

‘Not yet,’ Duo smiled. ‘Hilde banished me to the yard to help out,’ he explained. 

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah, great,’ he grinned. ‘Think I might have some of this figured out is all,’ he offered by way of explanation. He really didn’t like making his friends worry. 

‘Well, alright then,’ Solo returned happy that he appeared to be making progress on whatever it was and they ended up spending a very enjoyable day together fighting with the lanterns that mysteriously kept coming loose at one end or the other. Setting up chairs that burned their hands because of the suns hot rays and avoiding a multitude of other small mishaps that Duo appeared to be getting a major kick out of even when he was the recipient of the chaos. 

Treize arrived right on cue when the fires were blazing and the roast pork was filling the air with savory scents, the large flowers tinting the breeze with sweet nectars while the little lanterns glowed softly for the crowd. Duo had never seen him before in person, but he was a damn sight more impressive than he thought he’d be. Zechs was also there and stayed close by Treize’s side where Duo kept a wary eye on him, which appeared to delight him to no end. Whether he knew that Duo was aware of his origins or he really was just a pervert getting off on the attention was yet to be seen, but it wasn’t all that high on Duo’s priority list. However, the blue eyed demon with the mop of chocolate hair that had just breezed in was. He went to join him, but the expression in Hiiro’s eyes stalled his advance, his heart tightening while the Demon Lord regarded him for a moment, then moved off through the crowd alone. 

‘Pissy ain’t he?’ 

‘Shut up,’ Duo grumped ignoring the disembodied voice at his ear. 

‘It isn’t you if you’re interested,’ Trowa said fading discretely into view. Duo stared for a moment, then rolled his eyes at the ridiculous outfit of grass skirt and coconuts he was wearing. ‘Tis Wufei’s absence that angers him so,’ the imp informed him with a sadistic grin. 

Duo suddenly realized he hadn’t seen the shadow demon at all for the past week. ‘Where is he?’ he asked curiously. 

‘Recovering,’ the imp told him with the greatest of glee. 

‘From what?’

‘That’s an interesting look on you,’ Zechs tenor interjected when he and Treize stepped up beside them. Trowa hissed and popped out of existence just like that leaving Duo standing there wondering if he were going to be expected to explain this phenomena, but the two taller men just chuckled. 

‘So, this is Hiiro’s pet,’ Treize smiled. 

‘We’re friends,’ Duo countered firmly refusing to drop his eyes even though he could feel the presence behind the fake human façade. 

‘Interesting isn’t he?’ Zechs purred. 

‘Most amusing,’ Treize agreed eyeing his entire body in a way that seriously made Duo want to scrub his skin raw in the tub.

‘I told you this would be fun,’ Zechs chuckled while Duo took a shaky step backward. 

‘Who are you?’ Duo asked. Hiiro had told him Zechs was his brother, but Zechs appeared to serve this other man so who in the hell was he?’ 

‘Never fear,’ Treize purred stepping closer to him as his blue eyes slowly faded away while his iris appeared to smolder with a crimson fire. ‘I will be your deliverance,’ he told him as a strange set of horizontal eye lids blinked behind the fake human flesh making Duo’s skin crawl while he backed up and walked right into Hiiro’s chest. 

‘Hiiro!’ he barked skirting his Master’s thin form until he was standing a bit behind him at his shoulder glaring at the two men in defiance. 

‘Hiiro,’ Treize smiled chuckling softly. ‘It’s been much too long,’ he said, but Duo could hear the sarcasm in the words. Hiiro said nothing, only standing stock still staring blankly at them. 

‘I can see why you keep him,’ Zechs interjected. ‘He’s very beautiful,’ he smiled eyeing Duo all over again. 

‘It’s not like that!’ Duo growled. 

‘Isn’t it?’ Treize smiled, but Hiiro only remained. ‘What is it?’ he asked stepping closer yet and his mouth curled up evilly at the corners while he looked deep into the Demon Lords dark blue eyes. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen in love with him?’ he laughed. 

Duo’s chest tightened as his entire world crumbled around him while the two of them laughed merrily at the idea and he awaited the denial, but it never came. Instead a girl that was standing nearby suddenly screamed when the shadows around them sprang to life gathering and congealing between the Demon Lord and his antagonists until Wufei stood there in all his dark glory. Duo had never seen him in quiet this light before as the very sight of his ebony eyes was so intent in their purpose made him want to shrink away and find a hole to hide in, but his heart refused to allow him to leave Hiiro’s side. Treize was...less than amused. 

‘This would be much easier if you would simply share,’ he smiled ignoring the rushing humans around him, most of which were trying to tend to the hysterical girl that had seen Wufei phase in. If he would have blinked once he’d have missed it when a thousand shadows suddenly raced from everywhere engulfing Treize and Zechs and dragging them to the floor. The humans in their way were trampled and forgotten as if so many leaves, each intent on rending their prey limb from limb while Wufei howled and dove into the fray. Duo lunged forward only to find he couldn’t move more than a foot when his face and body slammed into an invisible barrier preventing him from going to the shadow demons aide. 

‘Wufei!’ he shouted, but the sound of his voice was lost in the turmoil of the rising den around them yet Hiiro had yet to move so much as to blink an eye while he watched and then...something screamed. 

It was a horrid sound that literally made Duo ill, but his body wouldn’t even perform the simple function of expulsion when his eyes widened at the site of a huge gray, red clawed hand breaking free of the mountain of shadows, its claws dripping with a sticky, ebony substance that Duo could only imagine was the life’s blood of the shadow demons dark servants as they fell in a sickening shower to thud on the ground and slowly dissipate. The horrendous creature attached to that hand rose slowly from the depths of the pitch dropping more of the shadowlings from its towering form, its ice blue eyes grinning as was its ruby lips while it tossed a long, thick main of platinum hair over its shoulders and turned its horrendous, fanged face upward roaring its fury to the night sky. Several people nearby fainted outright, others ran screaming in pure hysteria and a few, like the short, dark hared girl that stood immobilized not ten feet from the demons left foot froze in stark terror. 

‘HILDE!’ Duo screamed flinging himself against the invisible shield. He realized his mistake too late when the demon grinned wickedly and his hand fell striking the girl so hard she flew twenty feet back slamming into a palm tree and falling silently to the ground. _**‘HILDE!!’**_ Duo roared slamming against the wall of his cage once again busting his lip in the process and sending his blood splattering over the unseen barrier. He was just about to try again when Trowa suddenly popped in, grabbed the girl and popped out again. Relief lasted only an instant when the gray demon turned his attention on Hiiro. ‘NO!’ Duo growled when the huge hand came down again, his mind screaming in a moments reprieve when it passed through where Hiiro used to be. 

_**‘As tactful as ever I see’**_ a strange voice reverberated in the air. It was familiar yet so foreign Duo didn’t dare to believe, but there was no mistaking it was the true tenor of his Demon Lord. 

He looked up horrified at the gray demon, his feet slowly carrying him backwards while his heart screamed its denial, but an instant later his eyes confirmed his worst fear when a ghastly, crimson hand ripped through time and space itself tearing a rift between this world and that allowing the Great Demon Lord to enter upon his will, his massive, red leather wings spread to the heavens while he flexed enormous, vermilion muscles and sapphire lightening danced in ominous eyes that he turned slowly on Duo, his chest filling with a horrific terror the likes he’d never dreamed possible, the pain in his chest rising in him as a primal scream ripped from his throat and he hit the floor shaking and crying and covering his head while tears streamed down his face and his body was wrecked by sheer terror and unmitigated sorrow. 

_**‘You’ve lost him’**_ Zechs said in a silken, taunting tone as he flanked the Great Lord, but Hiiro refused to take his crackling eyes off the fallen boy nearby. _**‘Fear not’**_ the huge gray demon hissed menacingly _**‘We shall see that his death is not wasted’**_ he promised lunging at his crimson brother. 

_**‘NO!’**_ Duo roared, his head snapping up just in time to see Hiiro’s right hand lash out and close painfully over his brothers face, his long, scarlet fingers slowly squeezing until the gray demon was growling and writhing in pain and thick lines of bright red blood trickled from both where the Demon Lords black claws dug into his flesh and the corners of his ice blue eyes yet still Hiiro hadn’t turned his gaze from Duo’s small form and all at once he understood. For the first time in his life he really, truly understood and had absolutely no doubt in his heart when he jumped to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs 

_**‘I love you!! Do you hear me, Hiiro!? I love you!’**_ he shouted advancing with each word toward the surreal scene, but his steps took a sudden fall when he was tackled to the side by a very determined, very frightened young man named Solo. 

He just barely caught a glimpse of the smile on Hiiro’s black lips before he roared so loud it shook the very fabric of the universe and tossed the gray demon two hundred feet in the air, his massive wings beating thunderously once launching his mammoth figure forward to slam into his brother so hard blood spurted out his mouth spattering the ground below, everywhere it touched hissing and sizzling as if pure acid had been dropped while Hiiro proceeded to royally kick Zechs ass. 

‘Hiiro!’ Duo yelled trying to get away from his friend. 

‘Damn it, stay down!’ Solo shouted pulling him back down again. 

‘NO!’ he growled watching while Hiiro pushed his flailing brother in a downward spiral, the horrendous crash sending bits of splintered trees and earth flying in every direction when the impact dug a deep crater in the land. 

‘DUO!’ Solo barked trying to subdue him and getting himself clocked for his efforts. 

‘Quatre!’ Duo bellowed while Solo blinked up at him disbelievingly holding his sore jaw. A moment later the faint outline of a very frightened looking sprite faded into view. ‘Get him out of here!’ Duo commanded not waiting for the reply while he turned on his heal and headed straight for the great, gaping, smoldering hole in the earth. 

‘Hiiro! Hiiro!’ he shouted searching the rising haze for some sign of his Master, his heart leaping into his chest when he saw the rising of a crimson mound among the wreckage. He watched in silent amazement while the Great Lord pulled himself from the remains until he stood in all his magnificent glory towering over him, the mire of his conquest clinging about his feet as if worshiping his greatness while he gazed silently down upon his young charge. ‘Hiiro,’ Duo whispered looking deep into his crackling blue eyes, all fear and doubt absent from his heart while he took a shaky step closer. 

_**‘Tell me,’**_ Hiiro said softly, his chin raised in a self confidence that was absolute. _**‘What do you feel?’**_ he asked revealing once again his terrible weakness where this small mortal was concerned. 

‘I love you,’ Duo replied without hesitation stepping closer still. His mind and soul so completely enamored by the Great Lord they didn’t even see the softly rasping Zechs in the smoldering crevice, his body broken and maimed to the point it would probably take years for him to heal properly. Hiiro too, had all but forgotten his ailing brother, his eyes sparking a fiery sapphire glow while he kneeled and moved his massive face closer to the boy and Duo instinctively stopped and stepped back. 

_**‘You are afraid,’**_ Hiiro said gently, his eyes falling to gaze upon the earth while a deep disappointment washed through his indigo eyes. 

‘Yes,’ Duo admitted steeling his resolve. ‘I am afraid,’ he told him reversing his retreat and walking up to Hiiro’s large, crimson face. 

His hand shook as if it were in the jaws of an angry dog when he reached out to touch the Masters gargantuan cheek, but he didn’t stop and he didn’t pull away, the feeling of his cool, delicate fingers on the Demon Lords thick, rough skin causing his heavily lidded eyes to slowly fall shut in pure pleasure. ‘But my love is stronger than my fear,’ Duo smiled caressing him before he laid his small and frail body along the huge demons face while his arms splayed out in what comically resembled a hug. There was a sudden stirring of the ethereal winds and then Hiiro’s human arms closed so tightly around Duo he could hardly breathe, but he didn’t want him to stop. Not even if it meant he would die right there and then he never, ever wanted him to stop. 

_**‘I must go’**_

They were the hardest words Duo had ever had to hear in his life, but he understood. There was no way for them to ever be together. Just holding him like this wrecked his frail human body with pain and brought him to the edge of death. Even now he could feel his heart hammering so hard he was amazed it didn’t just explode and end it all. He had to let him go. It was all he could do to keep himself upright while he slowly pulled away. His eyes refused to look at him choosing a small spot deep in the crater where Zechs body had lain though now it was as empty as Duo’s heart. There was a small disturbance, a change in the fabric of time and space, then a shifting of the breeze and all went quiet until Duo suddenly fell to his knees and wept. 

‘Duo?’ Solo inquired softly when his violet eyes fluttered open. ‘Hey,’ he smiled warmly touching his hand. ‘How’re you feeling?’ 

‘Where?’ Duo asked in a raspy, wisp of a tone he hardly recognized as his own. 

‘My place,’ he informed him. 

‘Hilde?’ 

‘She’s alive,’ he told him. ‘She’s got a couple of broken ribs, but she’ll heal okay,’ he assured him. 

‘Sorry,’ Duo apologized feeling his soul droop along with his tired eyes. 

‘Not your fault,’ Solo consoled. ‘Looks like they’ve all disappeared though,’ he smiled. ‘So our troubles are over, huh?’ he chuckled optimistically, an uncertain confusion brushing his expression when his words seemed to cause Duo great pain. 

‘How long?’ was his next question. 

‘About twenty five hours.’

‘Sunday night?’

‘Yeah, hey, you shouldn’t be trying to get up.’

‘Where’s Hilde?’ Duo asked forcing his aching body to move despite his friend’s objections. 

‘St. Mary’s,’ Solo replied resignedly. ‘Come on, I’ll take you.’

They found her resting quietly in her hospital room and Duo silently thanked Trowa again for his timely rescue. She was battered and looked exhausted, but all in all whole despite her encounter. She, as well as Solo, was amazingly accepting of the wondrous story of his upbringing making it even harder when it came time for Duo to say goodbye. 

‘What?’ she asked while fear and sorrow flooded her big, brown eyes. 

‘I have to go,’ he told her. 

‘I’ll come with you,’ Solo offered. ‘You never could look after yourself,’ he chuckled, but it was short lived when he saw the resolve in Duo’s eyes. 

‘Not this time,’ he told him smiling to show how much he appreciated the offer while he leaned down and kissed Hilde on the cheek. ‘Take care of each other,’ he told them. 

‘Duo,’ Hilde breathed desperately. ‘Come back and visit us okay?’ she asked begging for some indication that he wasn’t planning what she was afraid he was planning, but he could only offer her a loving smile, which he also directed at Solo. 

‘You better kiss her before someone tries to change her mind,’ the told him moving toward the door. 

He left while Solo was still blushing madly and Hilde was distracted by his reaction and headed straight for Tauhuna Rock. He was early so he crawled up on top of the sentinel stone and sat watching the stars through eyes he knew would never see them the same way again. One way or another, it ended tonight. 

‘Come,’ Shagu’s gravely tone disturbed his silent watch. 

She said nothing more while she led him into the dark forest, her many pods and skirts making it impossible to loose her in the darkness as she rattled along. He followed her deep into the thick underbrush then the slope of the ground began to rise. Another twenty minutes climb brought them to the tops of the trees and out where the forest thinned revealing the wide open sky where a huge, blood moon hung low against the unwavering stars. 

‘There,’ the old woman whispered as if frightened to be heard in this place while she pointed to a crag in the cliff side. ‘Take this,’ she told him handing him one of the pods from around her neck. ‘Pour it into the lake of fire,’ she instructed. ‘If the Gods favor you they will speak,’ she told him, then she was gone. He couldn’t even hear her rattling anymore when an absolute silence descended on the mountainside. 

It was another five minute climb before he reached the crevice and stepped inside, the heat of the mountains core beating him back, but he pushed onward, the beautiful shimmer in Hiiro’s dark eyes beckoning his every step until a soft orange glow glimmered up ahead. Soon the tunnel opened up into a large cavern where a large lake of molten lava lay sprawled within the volcano’s heart. It was an impressive sight to say the least, but Duo hadn’t come to see the pretty fire. He pulled the pod from his waist and emptied the contents into the quagmire, a hideous steam rising from the bubbling remains that turned his stomach and stung his eyes and then silence prevailed. 

‘Hello!’ he called feeling a tad silly for having believed the woman’s story, but then his pulse jumped when the very mountain itself seemed to groan in reply, a thousand voices calling out to him at once from the murky depths of the lake. 

_‘Sssssspeeeeakk.’_

‘I want to be with Hiiro,’ Duo told it...them…whatever it was. 

_‘Yyyyou hahhaaaaave beeen wiwitithh hhiimmm,’_ the strange chorus intoned. 

‘I want to lay with him,’ Duo explained hearing only a hissing sound in response. ‘He cares for me,’ he said defiantly. ‘If you truly worship him, then you know this to be true!’ he shouted. There was a long silence to the point he was just about to repeat his request when the voices spoke again. 

_‘Yyyoooouuu mmmuussussttt bee asss oone wwitith hhhimmm tooo sssuurviiive.’_

‘I will pay your price,’ Duo told it firmly. ‘Take whatever you want just grant me one night with him,’ he begged. 

Again he wondered at the lengthy pause and was just about to speak again when the mountain suddenly rumbled and great, noxious fumes began to bubble to the surface of the lava pool below. The stench was so bad he thought he might pass out, his eyes watered and his nostrils burned as wave after wave of the putrid gloom wafted over him bringing him slowly to his knees while the voices spoke again. 

_‘Thhee sssuupliiicaaaatition iiisss nnniiiggghhh,’_ it said and then suddenly the bubbles stopped rising and all fell as silent as the grave. 

Duo stood for a long time just staring into the glowering cave. He didn’t feel any different. He’d expected some sort of change to occur when he was turned into a being that could withstand Hiiro’s touch, but for all the world he felt exactly the same. Curious as to his new station in life he walked over to one of the walls that were lined with jagged rocks and calmly reached out slicing his arm on one. His breath hissed in when the pain lanced his arm and the red blood in his veins seeped out and spilled onto the black rock below. Confused he turned his attention back to the silent cave. 

‘Why do I bleed?’ he shouted, but no reply came. ‘Why doesn’t it heal?’ he yelled, the only reply his own voice echoing off the cavern walls. He paused to stare down at the slow trickle of blood flowing from his lacerated skin, his mind working frantically on a conclusion that his heart simply refused to believe, but there was no other explanation. ‘You changed him instead of me!!’ he bellowed into the silent cave, his anger over his own foolishness gripping him like an iron vice. ‘You made him mortal!? What are you stupid?!’ he growled, a soft bubble breaking the surface of the lava as he spoke. ‘He’ll be unprotected from those assholes that tried to kill him if he’s mortal you dumb son of a bitches!’ he shouted as more bubbles rose. ‘What kind of fool idiots would turn a god into a man at another mans request!?!?!’ he roared.

_‘Tthhhhheee chooooiiccee wawasss hhiiisss.’_

‘No,’ Duo breathed backing towards the tunnel while he shook his head in denial. ‘No way,’ he breathed turning and running full out back to the entrance where he skidded to a sudden halt at the sight of his three lesser demon guardians. He couldn’t speak, he truly couldn’t find the words to even begin to express his sorrow over what he’d just done, so he just stood there, his arm still bleeding slightly while he panted and cried silent tears of grief. 

They said nothing while they surrounded him wrapping him tightly in their arms. His injury had disappeared by the time they reappeared in the nether realm as well as his clothes, which had been replaced by a flowing black gown. He was barefoot and his hair was no longer in its usual braid, but weaved loosely about his person in an elaborate configuration of graceful swoops and swirls that hung down embracing his body in a sea of chestnut stars. They had appeared at the base of a set of stairs, white marble that led to a gothic cathedral of tall pillars that reminded him of something out of a Sinbad movie, but there was nothing humorous about it now. He paused looking back at his demon friends, almost wishing they’d take him away again so he wouldn’t have to face the Master in his mortal state, but he knew he had no other choice but to face his sin. Hiiro had chosen this fate, that’s what the voices meant. They’d sent out his plea to the only being in all creation who could possibly have granted it, the Demon Lord himself, and he’d accepted for no other reason than to service Duo’s selfish desire. He would offer himself fully to him now as his life was no longer his own. It truly belonged to Hiiro. He took one last, long, deep breath and looked back at Trowa, Quatre and Wufei again watching while they slowly faded out, then turned to face his fate. 

Within the circle of pillars lay an alter of stone and wood. On the alter were many pillows and draping clothes of ebony and scarlet, a stark contrast to the milky white sheen of the marble room. On these lay Hiiro wearing nothing but a small white cloth wrapped loosely around his hips where he reclined comfortably on the alter, one hand under his head, his eyes closed, his tanned chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm and Duo’s heart began to instantly race. As if on cue the Demon…no...Hiiro’s eyes slowly opened, a small smile gracing his lips as he rose and offered Duo his hand and he collapsed at his feet kissing the offered appendage while tears flowed freely from his eyes. 

‘Please don’t cry,’ Hiiro pleaded stroking his thick hair with his free hand. Duo’s tears slowed to a stop, his determination to obey his Masters commands steeling his will while he turned his violet gaze upward. ‘What is it?’ Hiiro asked smiling at the look of pure disbelief on his face. 

‘You’re just…you’re so beautiful,’ he breathed. 

‘You chose the form,’ he informed him. 

‘No wonder,’ Duo chuckled. 

‘You have good taste,’ Hiiro told him lifting his chin to kiss him softly and Duo’s entire universe suddenly shifted. ‘Are you alright?’ he asked while he trembled and swayed. 

‘Y...yes,’ Duo replied feeling decidedly dizzy, but not so totally overwhelmed that he felt he might actually shake apart if they continued, which Hiiro did a moment later kissing him again only this time he drew him into his arms and into his lap and over top of him and kissed him wholly with all of the love and feeling he held for him. 

Duo was shaking like a leaf and crying again before he relented. And for a moment, an instant in which he suddenly realized he had been and always would be Hiiro’s only true equal as he loved him just as much and Hiiro loved him back, he felt the first real freedom he’d ever known in his short life and in that instant, he offered it up to his Master gratefully and with a full heart joined him on a path that would truly make them one even if only for one brief instant in time.

In less than the blink of an eye that moment was over and they were sated and lying in each other’s arms soaking up what little remained of their time together and Duo couldn’t help but wonder…

‘Why?...Why didn’t they just turn me into a demon instead?’ 

‘This is better, nee?’ Hiiro chuckled kissing his hair. 

‘But...you’re not safe like this are you?’ 

‘Shhh,’ he soothed softly pulling him tight. 

‘You’ve got to change back,’ Duo pressed on pulling away. ‘Before the others figure it out.’

‘They already know,’ Hiiro told him brushing the ruffled bangs from his bewildered eyes and kissing him gently. 

‘But…why haven’t they…?’ Duo’s eyes went wide and he pulled away when the awful truth seeped into his brain. ‘They’re waiting for you,’ he breathed in shock. ‘They’re waiting to kill you aren’t they?’

‘It is a small price to pay,’ Hiiro reasoned. 

‘No!’ Duo barked extracting himself from the folds of clothes and sheets, his black robes billowing around him as he strode towards the exit. 

‘Where are you going?’ 

‘I was willing to give my life,’ Duo growled in pure determination, ‘but I will not let them take yours!’ 

‘What have I to live for?’ Hiiro asked softly and Duo stopped in his tracks. ‘You will die and I will be left here with nothing more than a memory,’ he pointed out. ‘What good can come of an infinity of longing?’ he asked. ‘It is better to let it end here,’ he reasoned once again offering his hand. Duo felt the tear rolling down his cheek even as he returned to grasp it, but he never made the distance before Zechs huge body suddenly crashed through the roof sending stones and boulders bouncing everywhere while he hissed and spread his gargantuan silver wings between them. 

‘Leave him!’ Hiiro bellowed standing to stride proudly across the floor while Zechs reached for Duo. ‘His life belongs to the voices of Shraleah,’ he told him sternly. 

_**‘I’m sure I can compensate them with something far more interesting that this little whelp’**_ Zechs growled picking Duo up in his huge hand and licking his entire body with his huge, crimson tongue. 

‘RELEASE HIM!’ Hiiro roared only to find himself sliding across the floor where the demon had batted him effortlessly before taking Duo and heading for the alter, his form shrinking and changing into something more appropriate for the task until the man that had been Duo’s teacher remained. 

However, his eyes no longer resembled that of any mortal man as well as his strength, which he demonstrated by knocking Hiiro back into the wall twenty feet away when he tried to retrieve his lover again. Duo fought against him, but he was not only no match for him physically he was dealing with a full demon now and found it impossible to resist his demands. Hiiro screamed in rage spitting bright red blood from his mouth as he dragged his battered body to his feet and charged once again. Zechs laughed with glee never wavering from his demands on Duo while he back handed him sending him crashing into a pillar so hard he busted it and brought it tumbling down while Duo cried out his name and sobbed helplessly. A moment later Zechs was suddenly prepared to take him as his own while Hiiro lay in a bloody heap on he marble floor and Duo screamed then, just as suddenly as it started it stopped when Zechs disappeared. 

For a moment Duo blinked his terrified eyes wondering where he’d gone, but a quick look around proved that he was now embedded in the far wall of the room in a kind of upside down lopsided pose that Duo really didn’t take much time to analyze before he jumped up and headed straight for Hiiro, but he found himself bouncing off something big, black and hard as a rock before he made the distance. He shook his garbled head and gazed up at the strange wall. It shimmered with an eerie purple iridescence that sparkled with an evil too deep for Duo’s frail mind to comprehend. 

Slowly, cautiously he followed the line of the tapering mound upward, over and around until his eyes made out the form of what looked like the hips of an animal, a goat perhaps, but the tail that had stopped his progression more resembled that of dragon lore. The body was humanoid, but bore no real resemblance other than the shape of the rib cage and chest which led into arms that moved like a humans but were clawed and wicked on the ends with sharp talons like that of a bird of prey. A dark ridge ran down it’s spine from the center of its brow to the tip of its massive tail that looked like a row of lethally sharpened, ebony knives, each one clicking and shifting as it moved, a motion so graceful and fluid it looked as if it were nothing more than a cloud of ink underwater, but the most horrifying thing about it was its eyes. Blue eyes that bubbled with scarlet flames and purple lightening that leaked from its glowering orbs crackling and dancing along its ebony skin. Duo had seen those eyes before. 

‘Treize.’

_**’Duo.’**_

‘Shit.’ 

The creature laughed and blinked his strange, horizontal eye lids as he lowered his huge, cow of a head down to where Duo coward in a ball on the floor. 

_**’Bellus.’** _

Duo shivered. He didn’t really care for being called pretty in this being’s voice. 

‘Father,’ Hiiro’s broken tone drifted weakly up from the far corner while he desperately tried to pull his broken body from the floor. ‘His life,’ he rasped spitting blood and fluids from this mouth as he moved. 

_**’Shraleah.’**_

Hiiro nodded while the creature regarded Duo for a long moment, then a grin spread along his thin lips that Duo couldn’t bear to look upon for it was the epitome of all things evil. 

_**’Nulus…Existo,’**_ the creature intoned and Duo suddenly screamed in agony while Hiiro crashed to the floor. 

‘Please,’ Hiiro begged while he watched his lover thrash about on the marble floor screaming pitifully, but the creature took no pity on him going so far as to chuckle darkly while he effortlessly climbed the walls so he could watch from a perch along the corner of the top of the room. ‘Duo,’ Hiiro ground out through clenched teeth while he did his best to crawl over to where he could touch his twitching hand, but the moment their fingers touched he suddenly found himself in the steely grip of his platinum haired brother. 

_**‘Time to die’**_ the gray demon hissed squeezing him hard, his bones cracking and breaking under the strain until a new tenor suddenly filled the air, a sound so pristine in its intent it was like the first cry of a new born child as it gently commanded, _ **’No.’**_

Zechs stopped dead still, his icy eyes turning to regard the silent, ebony figure lying on the stark white floor and for a moment nothing stirred save for the silent grin that spread over Treize’s lips. 

_**’Release him,’**_ the voice intoned while the little, black puddle began to stir. 

Hiiro’s eyes cracked open, a small smile playing on his lips at the sight of his lover’s tenacity, but it was instantly replaced by something a little more confused and amazed like the one currently on Zechs face when Duo’s black robes seemed to spring to life and embrace him. Their eyes widened considerably, Zechs dropping his broken brother on the floor while he hissed and backed away from the rising ebony form. Hiiro’s grin widened even further from where he lay limply on the marble watching while two mammoth, black leather wings spread out from the small shadow giving birth to the single most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on in the eternity his life. 

His skin was black but not pitch, it had that same eerie iridescent shimmer as Treize, but just more of it. The purple lightening that danced in Treize’s eyes appeared to prefer to roam the entire expanse of Duo’s impressive body. Unlike Hiiro or Zechs his face hadn’t changed much, his eyes were still violet and his lines still supple and long, but he bore the tale tell fangs and thicker skin of a fully endowed Demon Master. He also had a rather impressive set of horns, but they were much more delicate than Hiiro’s massive appendages and the long locks that the Demon Lord had so treasured throughout his life had grown to an even more impressive length covering most of his back and legs to trail along the floor in puddles of shimmering chestnut. Another small difference between himself and the other two Demons was the long tail that protruded from the tip of his spine like that of the creature watching from the rafters giving him a decidedly unfair advantage in a fight since it was equipped with a rather lethal edge and was fully under the violet eyed demons command. 

_**‘A demon,’**_ Zechs hissed moving cautiously around the new addition. Duo smiled and with a flick of his wrist sent him slamming up against the far wall of the room knocking down several pillars in the process that buried him very nicely. It took him a second to extract himself growling, _ **‘Why?!’**_ as he did so.

_**’It has always been so,’**_ Duo replied for Treize going to Hiiro’s side. _**’I was as unaware as you,’ he informed them. He wasn’t actually as large as Zechs and Hiiro standing only about twenty feet tall, but he was no less impressive for his lack of height. _ **’Until our Father awakened me,’**_ he told them smiling down at Hiiro’s battered but grinning face. **_

_**_**‘We are the same,’**_ Zechs ginned watching while Duo scooped Hiiro into his arms. _**’Kill the human and join us in everlasting domination,’**_ he coaxed hopefully. ** _

_**_**’We are not,’**_ Duo told him holding Hiiro to his chest. _**’I am neither demon nor human anymore,’**_ he told him turning blazing amethyst eyes upon him while he grinned. _**‘I am separate because I still possess a human soul. I am Shinigami,’**_ he declared. _**’And unlike you...I have someone who loves me.’**_ he told him while his shape shifted even as his lips melted together with Hiiro’s who hissed in response, his broken body giving into the pain while his mind and soul were swept away in the delectable tide of Duo’s demonic kiss. ** _

_**‘I will not guide you to the hereafter,’ he told his lover gently. ‘Will you stay here with me?’ he asked kissing him softly again. Hiiro couldn’t manage a verbal response so he just nodded and smiled. ‘I love you,’ Duo told him bending to kiss him again, but this time he suddenly jerked and arched back drinking in the enormous amount of energy his lover was pouring into him. A moment later Duo was being pushed back and down and flailing in the Demon Lords arms while his eyes blazed with a power surpassing his former glory for now he held the heart of his one true love and there is nothing in this realm or any other that is more powerful than the unbreakable bond of love. He broke away feeling both his heart and body healing at a rapid rate though he had to steady Duo on his shaky legs when he stood and looked up at the creature along the ceiling.** _

_**‘Father,’ he said calling the odd being down to their level again.** _

_**‘Thank you,’ Duo smiled kneeling to kiss his clawed hand.** _

_**The creature only grinned its evil grin, then suddenly and with a grace and swiftness the likes of which Duo had never dreamed possible it was gone. Duo wondered for a moment if this being could really be his father, but upon reaching deep inside himself he couldn’t deny the part of him that belonged to him. He was still human as well, but the seed that had been planted inside him so long ago had been awakened and allowed to come to full bloom. Was this a reward for Hiiro for long years of faithful service? Who could say? The will of the purity was unknown even to its subservient. Long had the lines been tainted by human blood, but their souls had been forgotten eons ago. Duo would be the only one of his kind. The only one bearing any responsibility to the human race as he guided them to their just reward and Hiiro would be right there by his side…forevermore. He was very happy, a gleeful grin spreading over his mouth that gave his lover reason to quirk a curious brow.** _

_**‘Wonder how Trowa would taste with ranch dressing,’ he grinned.** _

_**‘What about Wufei?’ Hiiro wondered.** _

_**‘Think he can handle us both?’ Duo smiled making Hiiro laugh that rolling, thunderous, beautifully honest laugh while he snatched him up and carried him away.** _

_**owari :)** _

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


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